Judith with the head of Holofernes 1592 - 1668

Giulio Benso made this drawing of Judith with the head of Holofernes with pen and brown ink on paper. Here, the material is crucial. Benso used the immediacy of ink to capture the drama of this biblical scene. The pen’s directness lends the sketch an air of spontaneous intensity. Notice how Benso varies the line thickness to create a sense of depth and movement. The swift, confident strokes indicate a skilled hand, familiar with the flow of ink and the texture of the paper. Consider, too, the social context: paper was relatively accessible during the time of Benso, but the skill to execute such a drawing was not. The artist’s expertise would have been highly valued, reflecting a society that esteemed both artistic talent and the materials that made its expression possible. This drawing, therefore, encapsulates a moment in cultural history where skill, material, and narrative converge.