We who with songs beguile your pilgrimage / And swear that Beauty lives though lilies die, / We Poets of the proud old lineage / Who sing to find your hearts, we know not why ... (James Elroy Flecker)

16.6.21

Statement in Context

 Statement in Context


















‘I am calm,’ she declared, 

‘and in possession of myself’ –

proclaiming this with her eyes, 

her expression, her bearing 


(her rich clothing, 

her carefully arranged 

hair and accessories, 

mere background to her poise).


So I brought her home, 

where she gazes at me 

with constant composure – young, 

but someone to be relied on.


Always intrigued, my son 

searched her image many years later

for the artist’s name, and found 

Lucas Cranach the Elder. 


And found many versions 

of this painting. Also, 

it became apparent that my print 

showed only part of the whole.













She is revealed as Judith: 

Jewish heroine, slayer of the tyrant 

Holofernes. She cut off his head 

with his own sword.


‘An icon of female rage,’ 

says one description. But no fury 

shows on her face, nor in her pose, 

in any variation of the painting.


Holding the sword aloft 

over the ghastly head, 

she continues to assert

a now surreal, terrible calm.






Written for Weekly Scribblings #74 at Poets and Storytellers United, where Magaly invites us to convey the point of view of a character in a painting. This is perhaps more my point of view about her point of view – but that would actually be the case even if I fictionalised it and spoke as her. (That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it!)

Background: I was working in a municipal library. Some posters arrived, including one which had not been ordered. Rather than go to all the trouble of sorting out the misunderstanding and returning it for a refund, the Chief Librarian asked if anyone would like to have it, and I volunteered.  Yes, the final image above is slightly different from the print I have, which is shown in the first image, framed and still hanging on my wall many years later. (The story is that Judith, a young widow, seduced Holofernes in order to kill him, hence the finery she is wearing.)

Click on middle picture for a better view of the various versions. It seems that several are on public display at different galleries.

9 comments:

  1. She certainly does look calm. Calm and resolute. When we see the entire painting we can see why! Interesting they "cleaned it up."

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    1. Yes, without the full context it is merely a pleasant portrait of a rather serious lass.

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  2. Rosemary, I can tell your picture means a lot to you. I had seen it before but didn't know the history of how Holofernes lost his head. I assumed she cut it and didn't worry about her reason. Thank you for her story and for yours.
    Nicely told.
    ..

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    1. I just liked the image, and wondered about the unknown young woman.. Knowing the full context gives me a whole different impression. I mostly try to forget that context when I look at my picture on the wall, and still to see her mistakenly as just some woman, calm and untroubled, slightly mysterious....

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  3. "surreal, terrible calm" describes this painting so well. There is something in her eyes, in her posture that is both strong and disturbing. I like the entire poem, but your penultimate stanza is my favorite. You thoughts on the inaccuracy of the description are spot on, I feel. I wonder how much the one who described it knew about women.

    I love how you came to own the print.

    Oh, and your note about the point of view made me laugh aloud. 😄

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  4. What a fascinating tale! Ironic to think this portrait as you received it appeared to portray a calm and accomplished young woman, while the image en toto portrayed a woman who calmly beheaded misbegotten Holofernes and included his severed head for good measure!

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  5. Most fascinating .. image and words!!

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  6. "she continues to assert

    a now surreal, terrible calm."
    So very precisely worded
    Happy Wednesday

    Much💛love

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  7. The expression in the version you had is arresting, but I LOVE the expanded image. I also like how your poem encourages everyone who appreciates any sort of art to take a step back if possible and see what a bit of context can add to our appreciation.

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