JUDITH WITH THE HEAD OF HOLOFERNES

The canvas depicting Judith with the Head of Holofernes was included in the list of paintings destined for the Capitoline Museums in 1812. It was brought to Rome, yet fortunately returned to the Church of San Pietro in 1815. Unlike the other works by Sassoferrato in this church, this painting is not inspired by the works of Perugino or Raphael, but is an original creation. The subject of the painting, dear to artists dedicated to 17th century realism, is immersed in an atmosphere that is both rarefied and suspended. There is nothing here of the bloody and dramatic versions by Caravaggio and his closest followers. The composition is presented in the dimensions of classical, almost purist, composure. This Judith is part of the iconographic program Salvi implemented for the basilica of San Pietro, since it prefigures the victory of the Blessed Virgin over the Demon.