Taller de Guido Reni (1575 - 1642) "Judith and Holofernes"

Oil on canvas. Period frame in gilded wood in the form of molding. 

The figure of Judith is represented standing, in contraposto, and holding the hilt of a sword with her right hand, with strength and showing the back of the hand. On the opposite side, the figure of Holofernes, already with his head cut off, is being held by Judith's left hand through his hair. The head has a more sallow tone and is placed just in front of the body. The hand hangs limply over a cloth. It is worth noting the great technical quality and the details shown, which allow us to appreciate: the jewelry, the dress and Judith's face, which keeps her gaze towards the sky with a countenance that keeps a perfect harmony. Comparisons with similar pieces show the style of Guido Reni. 

The composition is original of the painter Guido Reni and in the same period or later years more faithful copies of the original are documented, considering the first version, the one conserved in the "Seldmayer Collection" of Geneva, dated around 1625 and 1626. A technical study of the present work by professors of the University of Granada indicates that the canvas, the craquelure and the study of pigments correspond to Italian painting of the 17th century. The wefts are covered by a preparation that allowed to obtain a rough surface, preferred by painters who liked a quick painting with impasto. Dating it in Italy between 1625 and 1630, by the workshop or circle of Guido Reni. 

The work is little intervened and it is possible to admire its purity. It is covered and the stretcher has been replaced in a previous intervention. In the upper right part there is a tear and in general losses produced long ago. On the back, the seams of the canvas can be seen, due to the fact that the looms of the time were not capable of producing canvases of such dimensions.

Size: 222 x 146 cm; Size with frame: 239,5 x 162,3 cm

Provenance:

It is supposedly made from an original now disappeared, which belonged to the royal collections. It is mentioned together, according to the report, in royal inventories. The first of them in the Alcazar, made in 1686. From then on they are mentioned in the inventories of 1694, 1700 and 1704. In the inventory made as a result of the fire in 1734 in the Real Alcázar, only the original is mentioned, but in the following inventory made in 1772 in the Buen Retiro, the two appear together again. In the following inventory of 1794 only the copy is mentioned, and from then on the whereabouts are unknown. In Spain there are more copies of very good quality, for example in the Museo de Burgos and the Museo de Salamanca. The most widely documented copy is in the Museo del Prado and shows quite similar dimensions, in this case it is indicated that the copy was made by Juan Carreño (1614 - 1685).

Acquired by an important private collection in Granada.

Literature: 

Carmen Raquel Gonzalez Prados and Amparo Escolano Mena. "Judith and Holofernes. Technical study"