Fotoreproductie van een schilderij, voorstellende de terugkeer van Judit naar Betulia met het hoofd van Holofernes before 1888

This photogravure reproduces a painting of Judith with the Head of Holofernes. The image itself is embedded within the pages of a book. The story of Judith was often painted in Italy and Northern Europe from the fifteenth century onwards. Judith, a beautiful widow, saves her city by entering the enemy camp and seducing Holofernes, the invading general. She gets him drunk and then beheads him. Here we see her returning to her city, carrying Holofernes’ head in a sack. This image participates in a long history of the representation of women as dangerous, violent, and duplicitous. The image also lends itself to the creation of national mythologies. Looking at images such as this one can give us valuable insights into gender and social dynamics in the society for which it was made. Art historians rely on a broad range of documentary and theoretical resources when interpreting artworks such as this. These might include religious texts, social histories, and feminist theory.