Raffaello - Nach - Albertina 179, Judith mit dem Haupte des Holofernes; links vergrößerte Studie des rechten Armes

This pen-and-ink drawing depicts the biblical heroine Judith in a graceful, twisting pose as she holds the severed head of the Assyrian general Holofernes. She is draped in thin, flowing fabric that emphasizes her movement and form, while a separate sketch to the left focuses on the musculature of her uplifted arm. The work shows the characteristic Renaissance interest in combining biblical narrative with classical anatomical precision.

Judith serves as a moral allegory for the triumph of virtue over vice and the humble over the proud. In the Neoplatonic environment of the Renaissance, this victory was often interpreted as the rational soul or spirit overcoming the base, material passions represented by the drunken Holofernes.