Judith with the Head of Holofernes

Judith is depicted with exaggerated, muscular features in a dynamic Mannerist pose, clutching a sword in one hand and the general's head by the hair in the other. In the background, the headless torso of Holofernes lies on a bed, and the scene is framed by a Latin moral inscription. The print utilizes complex cross-hatching and swelling lines to create a sense of three-dimensional form and dramatic lighting.

This work is a collaboration between Bartholomeus Spranger and Hendrick Goltzius, two pivotal figures in the courtly Mannerism of Rudolf II. The accompanying text transforms the biblical scene into a moralizing 'memento mori' on the fragility of power and the dangers of hubris, themes central to the intellectual atmosphere of the Rudolfine circle.