Judith and Holofernes (Donatello)

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
“Judith and Holofernes” in front of the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence

Judith and Holofernes is a bronze sculpture that the Florentine sculptor Donatello created between 1453 and 1457 as a figure for a fountain in the garden of the Palazzo Medici in Florence . Today the original is kept in the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence.

It depicts the murder of General Holofernes by Judith , who can save her people and her country from being conquered by the Assyrians. The “Judith and Holofernes” group and “David”, which was also in the Medici Garden at the time, are considered to be one of the first sculptures of the early Renaissance to be seen from all angles. A copy is now on the Piazza della Signoria in front of the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence "in the shadow" of Michelangelo's David .

Technical specifications

Without the base, the Judith and Holofernes group has a height of 236 cm. The figure is made of bronze and still has traces of the original gilding. The sculpture was cast in 11 individual pieces and subsequently processed and gilded.

Client

The Judith and Holofernes group was probably commissioned from Donatello by Cosimo de 'Medici or Piero de' Medici as a figure for a fountain in the garden of the Palazzo Medici.

description

Giuditta e oloferne, donatello.JPG

Judith is shown as a young woman, dressed in a long-sleeved, high-belted, antique-style robe, the narrow neckline of her dress is emphasized by a wide border with a rosette pattern and two genii with a tondo . Towels pulled down over her forehead cover her hair. She stands on a soft pillow on which the athletic but slackened Holofernes sits, held only by Judith's tight grip on her head of hair. Her right foot is on the victim's sex, the left leg is braced, the victim's head is laid on the thigh for a second, fatal blow. The first blow had only caused the gash on the neck.

In stark contrast to Judith's rather delicate figure is the drunken Holofernes. He is only dressed in a loincloth, his muscular, naked body, the wild mane of hair and the rampant beard radiate violence and brutality. He's wearing a medallion around his neck; it has slipped onto his back. It shows a horse rearing up, a familiar symbol of superbia at that time , of pride.

The group stands on a base whose three baluster-like columns emphasize the corners. The round marble baluster base was only created when the sculpture was moved from the Medici Palace in Via Larga to the Piazza della Signoria. On the three flat reliefs are Bacchanalien shown, references to the past drinking bouts of Holofernes. Donatello signed the sculpture with OPUS DONATELLI.

Locations and meanings of the group

Judith , a popular subject in the visual arts, was considered to be the embodiment of the Christian virtue of humility ( humilitas ), which triumphs over the vice of pride ( superbia ). In profane art she is the embodiment of a heroic person who saves the fatherland from dire need through courage and skill, and this is the meaning that the Medici thought of her for the garden. Accordingly, the original inscription of the Judith group read: “Kingdoms overthrow through fornication, these cities rise through virtues. See, the main court trip falls from the humility hand. ”During this time, Cosimo himself saw his government consolidated after eliminating competing Florentine families and through foreign policy successes - an alliance with Venice and the replacement of the Milanese Visconti by the Sforza , which he promoted . The city flourished economically and culturally, and inner peace was preserved.

In 1494 the Medici were expelled from the city, in 1495 the sculpture was removed from the pedestal by the population, ceremoniously transported to the Piazza della Signoria and placed near the main entrance to the Palazzo Vecchio. It was now seen as a symbol of freedom and the people's victory over tyranny and was given a new inscription: "This example of salvation was set up by the citizens in 1495".

After their return, the Medici left in this place so as not to irritate the feelings of the people. It stayed in this place for nine years, until in 1506 it had to give way to Michelangelo's “David” and was moved to the Loggia dei Lanzi under the western arcade. In 1562 she had to vacate the space again, this time for Giambologna's group “The Robbery of the Sabine Women”. Judith moved to the narrow side of the loggia, opposite the Uffizi , the worst possible location for a sculpture that, according to the artist's wishes, should be viewed from all sides. She stood in this corner for three centuries.

After the Second World War, it was put back in its old place in front of the Palazzo Vecchio, where it now looks rather lost on the side of the more than two-meter tall "David". The Judith in the piazza is a copy made during the group's restoration in the 1980s. The original is in the Sala dei Gigli in the Palazzo Vecchio.

Individual evidence

  1. Wirtz 1998. p. 103.
  2. REGNA CADUNT LUXU - SURGENT VIRTUTIBUS URBES - CAESA VIDES HUMILI COLLA SUPERBA MANU.
  3. EXEMPLUM SALUTIS PUBLICAE CIVES POSUERE 1495.

literature

  • Reinhard Liess : Observations on the Judith Holofernes group of Donatello . In: Argo. Festschrift for Kurt Badt on his 80th birthday , Cologne 1970, pp. 176–205.
  • John Pope-Hennessy: Donatello. Propylaen-Verlag, Frankfurt am Main et al. 1986, ISBN 3-549-05585-4 .
  • Barbara Schmitz: Trickster, scribe or femme fatale? The Judit figure between biblical narrative and art-historical reception. In: Biblical Forum. 2004, ISSN  1437-9341 , ( excerpt as PDF 432 kB ).
  • Rolf C. Wirtz: Donatello. 1386-1466. Könemann, Cologne 1998, ISBN 3-8290-0686-1 .

Web links

Commons : Judith and Holofernes by Donatello  - collection of images, videos and audio files
Commons : Judith and Holofernes, copy  - collection of images, videos and audio files