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Judith Over the Body of Holofernes

Alessandro Turchi

Basic information

ID: Ж-2420
Author: Alessandro Turchi
Name: Judith Over the Body of Holofernes
Technique: oil painting
Material: wood oil
Dimensions (height x width, cm): 32.8 x 39.6

Additionally

Type: painting
Genre: mythological painting
Plot: Judith with the head of Holofernes
Provenance: the Lubomirski collection
Exposition: Potocki Palace

Information about author

Author: Alessandro Turchi
Artist's lifetime: 1578–1649
Country: Italy
Biography: Alessandro Turchi was born in Verona. He received his early artistic training in the studio of Felice Brusasorci. In the early years of his career, influenced by the compositions of Veronese, Turchi worked in Rome until 1615. His success in Quirinale secured him commissions from ambitious patrons, including Cardinal Scipione Borghese, a patron of Caravaggio. By 1619, Turchi had become a significant figure in the artistic community of Rome and joined the Academy of Saint Luke. In addition to religious works, Turchi painted numerous mythological subjects for Italian and foreign patrons.

Object description

The painting was created under the influence of Carracci, Caravaggio, and Guido Reni. However, the artist softened the contrast between light and dark tones used by the Roman masters, reproducing it in the spirit of his native Venetian School of Painting. The dark background of the canvas, skillfully implemented by the artist, immediately directs the viewer's gaze to the centre of the composition, where the decapitated body of Holofernes lies on a bed with his left arm hanging down. On the right side of the canvas, there is a burning candle that illuminates the entire scene. In the left part of the composition, two female figures are depicted – Judith and her maid.

Legal regulation

Borys Voznytskyi Lviv National Art Gallery

Judith Over the Body of Holofernes

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