Judith and her Maidservant (Gentileschi, Florence)

Judith and her Maidservant is a c. 1615 painting by the Italian baroque artist Artemisia Gentileschi. It hangs in the Pitti Palace, Florence. The painting was first documented as being in the collection of Grand Duchess Maria Maddalena of Austria, as part of a 1638 inventory.
It depicts the moments after the biblical heroine Judith has assassinated the general Holofernes, and is fleeing his tent with her servant Abra. The subject is one that Artemisia portrayed several times during her career and this portrayal is based on an earlier work by the artist's father:
The dark setting of the scene is brightened by the red and gold tones in the fabrics - colors which Artemisia used frequently during her time in Florence. The viewer is reminded of the violence which preceded this moment by the screaming head depicted on the pommel of the sword, thought to be a mythological figure such as Medusa.