Judith her sword raised in her right hand, placing the head of Holofernes in the sack with her left 1537 - 1547

Andrea Schiavone created this print, ‘Judith her sword raised in her right hand, placing the head of Holofernes in the sack with her left’ sometime in the mid-16th century. The composition is defined by dense crosshatching in brown ink that models the figures with little tonal variation. The etching depicts a dramatic scene dominated by the commanding figure of Judith. She raises a sword high in her right hand, and her left hand, with the help of an attendant, places the severed head of Holofernes into a sack. The tent behind her and the crouching figure to the left create a claustrophobic sense of space, intensifying the drama. The contrast between Judith's poised stance and the gruesome act she is performing destabilizes traditional notions of heroism and femininity. The lack of idealization in the figures and the raw, expressive lines further challenge the conventions of Renaissance art. Schiavone invites a reevaluation of the power dynamics within the biblical narrative, and how the piece functions as a cultural discourse on female agency and violence.