A Visual Description of Judith with the Head of Holofernes

Qifa Wei Hoa 105 Writing Assignment 1
A Visual Description of Judith with the Head of Holofernes
This paper visualizes Judith with the Head of Holofernes (Syracuse University Art Museum, 0018.006), an oil painting by Lucas Cranach, the Elder. In the painting, Judith is holding the head of Holofernes by the hair with her left hand, and a sword, held by her right hand, is oriented vertically with the tip pointing upwards (The Guardian, 2018). From her head downwards, she is dressed in a brimmed hat with netting covering her hair, a neck collar, and a braided wrap across her chest. Her gown has a tight, long-sleeved bodice, a furry over-garment draping over it and multiple rings laden fingers of both hands (Noss, 2015). The dressing is ceremonial.
Although Judith dawns gold ornaments, a proper judgement of the painting would be that it is dull. It is because the colours of the painting are gloomy, which go hand in hand with the moody ambience of having the decapitated head of Holofernes in the painting, but Judith's posture and gestures juxtapose this. Her light skin tone makes her conspicuous, and she wears a smug smile denoting some mischief ...