Judith with the Head of Holofernes 1440 - 1600

"Judith with the Head of Holofernes" is a woodcut print by the German artist Israhel van Meckenem, created sometime between 1440 and 1600. The print depicts the biblical story of Judith, a Jewish widow who decapitated the Assyrian general Holofernes to save her people from invasion. The artwork is a circular composition, with Judith and Holofernes' head in the foreground and a bustling battle scene behind them, including an army on horseback and a fortress in the distance. This print was likely created to be used as a devotional image, and is a prime example of the use of woodcuts in religious imagery during the early Renaissance. The print is currently located in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.