Spanish or Italian school; last third of the 17th... Lot 46

Spanish or Italian school; last third of the 17th century. "Judith and Holofernes". Oil on canvas. It presents important faults and leaps in the painting. The stretcher is missing. Restoration needed. Measurements: 94 x 80 cm. In spite of the state of conservation of the piece, it is possible to glimpse a landscape where several scenes are developed in a narrative way. The most important of these is the one on the right-hand side of the composition. Here there is a tent with several characters inside it, whose actions are in keeping with the biblical narrative describing the story of Judith and Holofernes. This is narrated in the biblical book of Judith, belonging to the Old Testament, the story of this Hebrew widow, in the midst of Israel's war against the Babylonian army, erroneously called Assyrian. With beautiful features, high education and great piety, religious zeal and patriotic passion, she tells how Judith discovers that the invading general, Holofernes, has fallen in love with her. Accompanied by her maid, the widow descends from her walled city besieged by the foreign army and, deceiving the soldier into believing she is in love with him, manages to enter his tent. Once there, instead of yielding to his gallant advances, she intoxicates him. When Holofernes falls asleep, Judith cuts off his head, throwing the Babylonian army into confusion and thus securing victory for Israel. This is a frequent theme in the history of art from the Baroque onwards. Although in the Baroque period, the aim was expressly to create a dramatic and bloody depiction of the story, which is why the moment of decapitation was generally chosen, in this particular case, Judith has already performed the act, and her enemy's head rests in a sack.