On loan to The Met The Met accepts temporary loans of art both for short-term exhibitions and for long-term display in its galleries.
Judith with the Head of Holofernes
Known during the sixteenth century as an exceptional, righteous woman, Judith was a Jewish heroine who seduced the Assyrian general besieging her city and beheaded him to save her people. Judith’s story took on political implications in this period and her figure became a symbol of civic virtue, justice, and independence taken up by the free imperial city-states of the Holy Roman Empire. Likely a Protestant refugee from Flanders, Mannerist sculptor van Egen worked at the royal tombs in Roskilde Cathedral in Denmark.
Due to rights restrictions, this image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.
This artwork is meant to be viewed from right to left. Scroll left to view more.