The Discovery of the Murder of Holofernes

This fresco displays the moment at which Holofernes' servants entered his tent to find him decapitated

There is a relatively youthful depiction of Holofernes in this version which potentially is to symbolise how he was lured in by Judith before being brutually disposed of. Judith represents bravery and loyalty to her people, who were now free from the attack which her actions had ended.

This contrasts to other work by Botticelli where he had actually depicted Holofernes as a grey haired military man with great experience and knowledge, but without the same sexual desires as suggested here. The controversy around the artist's sexuality also adds an extra spice to this beautiful representation on the male body.

It is probably that this fresco was completed around the same time as The Return of Judith, approximately 1472. It is a tempera on wood painting that measures 31 x 25 cm which is a standard size for much of Botticelli's work.

The Discovery of the Murder of Holofernes fits closely with another famous Botticelli painting - that of Judith with the Head of Holofernes. Judith herself appears frequently in the work of famous artists from the Renaissance all the way to the present day - see the Judith with the Head of Holofernes by Gustav Klimt, Judith Beheading Holofernes by Caravaggio and Judith by Giorgione for some of the best examples of this.

Artist Botticelli places two groups of Assyrians in the background which bears some resemblance to work that he completed in several Adoration scenes. Here their facial expression bears shock at this discovery, aware of the ramifications that his death represents. To see such a strong figure reduced to naked vulnerability is enough by itself, but with the circumstances of his death, they had much to take in when entering his tent.