"judith With The Head Of Holofernes" Lombard Area/romaninian Circle, Late 16th-early 17th

"Judith with the Head of Holofernes"
Lombard area/Romanini circle, late 16th/early 17th century
Oil on canvas with relining
Recent frame, 116 x 98 cm
Canvas, 83.5 x 102 cm

The work depicts the biblical episode of Judith, an Old Testament heroine, immediately following the beheading of the Assyrian general Holofernes. The protagonist, placed at the center of the composition, holds a platter with the severed head of her enemy. Her face, turned toward the viewer, is characterized by an intense and meditative expression, devoid of any celebratory emphasis. To her right appears an elderly female figure, identifiable as the handmaiden Abra, a traditional presence in the biblical tale. In the background, immersed in shadow, a secondary male figure is visible, contributing to the spatial depth and the intimate, restless atmosphere of the scene.
The work is distinguished by the strong psychological tension of the characters, whose realistic faces emerge, sometimes lined and far from an idealized beauty, thanks to the use of dense, irregular lighting combined with shadows. These elements suggest a harsher, earthier, and more dramatic pictorial language, attributable to Lombard naturalism.
Judith is depicted not as a triumphant heroine, but as a morally conscious figure, burdened by the weight of the deed she has just accomplished. The absence of theatrical gestures and the protagonist's pensive expression transform the scene into a reflection on responsibility, necessary violence, and individual sacrifice.
The intense psychological characterization, the realistic rendering of the faces, and the treatment of light and pictorial material suggest a closer affinity to the style of Girolamo Romanino or his circle.
Therefore, an attribution to a Lombard painter close to Girolamo Romano or his follower, active between the late 16th and early 17th centuries, is suggested.