The artist of this painting is the daughter of Gentileschi Orazio, who has a painting of Judith in this collection as well. Artemisia produced five versions of Judith and Holofernes and was the most famous woman painter of the 17th century. Artemisia was the victim of a sexual assault at 17 by another painter but ended uphumiliated even though documentation of the attack was found. Perhaps this paintingrepresents her feelings of hatred for oppressors. Like her father, she takes inspiration from Caravaggio and implements chiaroscuro masterfully. Judith is painted in the fine dress of a Renaissance woman, including her elaborate hairstyle. She is shown wearing a bracelet that consists of several cameos. The blood stream from Holofernes’ neck creates an arc that draws attention to the bracelet. Art historians have studied the images on the bracelet and have noted that the characters are posed in themidst of action that resembles Judith’s. Some hypothesize that the images are of Athena and Artemis, but definitive answers are impossible. Scholars recognize that Judith is represented in the manner of the classical artistic image of a Greek/Roman hero, with a calm, stoic demeanor that contrasts with the violence of the action.This is a way to connect Judith to the classical virtues, as she is remembered as the humble are chaste hero who saved her people.