Judith

Object belonging

One's own

Category

Bronze sculpture

City

Rome

Location

Museo Nazionale del Palazzo di Venezia

Specific location

Room 17

Inventory

PV 09217/373

Material and technique

Bronze, patina, lacquer

Author

Severo da Ravenna (studio?)

Dating

16th century (?)

Dimensions

18 x 11 x 6 cm.

Origin

Tower-Wurts Collection (1933)

Image copyright

SSPSAE e per il Polo Museale della città di Roma

Short description

Severo’s depiction of Judith follows the usual iconographic model adopted by Italian Renaissance sculptors. By contrast his depiction of another heroin, Tomyris, is highly original, in a wonderful statue held at the Frick Collection in New York, Queen Tomyris with the Head of Cyrus. The head of Holofernes, which Judith holds in her left hand, is very similar to Goliath’s head, which appears at David’s feet, in a number of Severo’s versions of the work. The uniform, bland finish of this bronze suggests that it is a weak replica, and perhaps not even the work of Severo’s studio.

Pietro Cannata

Bibliography

Unpublished