Author
Art Nouveau
Judith and the Head of Holofernes
Klimt's Judith — the biblical heroine with the head of Holofernes, painted as a femme fatale in gold: eros and death in Viennese Art Nouveau.
Its value lies in fusing gold, ornament and psychology: Klimt turned a heroic subject into an image of the femme fatale poised between ecstasy and cruelty.
Highlights
Surprising facts & legends
Short but striking stories around the work — the things that make it come alive.
Interesting facts
The story around the work
Interesting facts & legends
- Viewers so confused Judith with Salome that Klimt put the name 'Judith' on the frame to be sure.
- The gold ground and patterns are inspired by the Byzantine mosaics of Ravenna that struck Klimt.
- Holofernes's head is almost cropped off the canvas edge — Klimt removed all the heroism.
- The half-closed eyes and parted lips make her an image of ecstasy, not triumph.
- The work opens Klimt's famous 'golden period', which also includes The Kiss.
More details Open the extended reading, official sources, and visual context around the work
Historical context
Judith and the Head of Holofernes in its era
Klimt painted Judith in 1901. He showed the Old Testament heroine who beheaded the enemy general Holofernes not as a warrior but as a sensual, half-lidded woman in a gold necklace.
Path to recognition
How the work became widely known
Viewers were so unused to the erotic reading that they often mistook her for Salome. The gold ground and ornament, inspired by Byzantine mosaics, made Judith an icon of Art Nouveau.
Value
Why the work matters today
Its value lies in fusing gold, ornament and psychology: Klimt turned a heroic subject into an image of the femme fatale poised between ecstasy and cruelty.
Connections and legacy
How to read the work more broadly
Judith cemented Klimt's 'golden period' and the femme fatale of Art Nouveau, influencing painting, graphics and fashion at the turn of the century.
Official sources
Where to verify the institutional context
- Official institution page Belvedere, Vienna
Visual context
Related images and nearby entry points
What to look at
Three entry points into the work
Even a very famous artwork opens more fully when the viewer knows where to look for tension, meaning, and compositional focus.
- Note the gold necklace and ground — a Byzantine echo.
- Find the head of Holofernes, almost cropped by the edge.
- Look at the face: triumph or ecstasy?
More by the artist
More works: Gustav Klimt
Keep exploring this artist — these works are on Artatlas too.
Continue the exhibition
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