Judith met het hoofd van Holofernes

This chiaroscuro print depicts Judith in a feathered headdress, holding a sword in one hand and gripping the hair of Holofernes' severed head with the other. The scene takes place at night outside a military tent, illuminated by a crescent moon and stars, with the dark tone of the paper providing the deep shadows of the camp. The figures are rendered with the muscularity and dramatic poses characteristic of the Haarlem Mannerist style.

Hendrick Goltzius was a central figure of the Haarlem Mannerists and a known seeker of the Philosopher's Stone; his technical mastery of printmaking was often viewed by contemporaries as a form of artistic alchemy. This work reflects the period's interest in the 'Power of Women' trope and the moral victory of virtue over tyrannical pride.