Judith and the Infant Hercules

A biblical heroine, Judith, stands beside a mythological hero, Hercules, depicted as an infant; though seemingly unrelated, both are examples of fortitude. Judith, a Jewish widow, is shown holding the head of Holofernes, an Assyrian general. The Assyrians had besieged her city of Bethulia, and Judith went to the enemy camp to try to save it. When Holofernes invited her to his tent and tried to seduce her, she took advantage of his drunken stupor and beheaded him with his own sword. She carried his head home in triumph, and it was hung from the city walls. On the right, the infant Hercules strangles two serpents sent by the jealous goddess Juno to kill him.

According to classical and Renaissance authors, courageous deeds were more impressive if performed by undistinguished or weak persons, such as women or children. Here the painter shows a woman and a child, both naked to stress their vulnerability.