16

Alexandre Alaux

(French/Louisiana, 1851-1932)

"Judith", 1905

oil on canvas
monogrammed and localized "NO" lower left, signed, dated and localized en verso, after the ca. 1890 painting by Nathaniel Sichel (German, 1843-1907) which was widely exhibited and now in a private collection.
In a period, gessoed and giltwood frame.
26" x 20", framed 37" x 31"

  • Provenance: Martha Ann and Ray Samuel Collection, New Orleans, Louisiana; Sold in these galleries, May 20, 2006, lot 85; Private collection, New Orleans, Louisiana.
  • Exhibited: A Keen Eye: Louisiana Art from the Martha Ann and Ray Samuel Collection, New Orleans Museum of Art, March 4-April 22, 2006.
  • Literature: Exhibition catalogue, A Keen Eye: Louisiana Art from the Martha Ann and Ray Samuel Collection, New Orleans Museum of Art, March 4-April 22, 2006.

    The embodiment of courage and determination, the Jewish Biblical heroine Judith has long been a popular subject for artists; she has been the inspiration for paintings by Caravaggio, Artemisia Gentileschi and Gustav Klimt, an installation by Judy Chicago, and an opera by Alexander Serov. Interestingly, Alaux's version departs from the more frequently depicted climax of the narrative, instead portraying a moment of anticipation: Judith, dressed in all her finery and with her maid behind her as support, prepares to enter the chamber of the Assyrian general Holofernes. In other iterations, artists have chosen to emphasize the drama of the violent decapitation of this great enemy of her people, or just after, as she presents the severed head to the viewer as a symbol of triumph.

    Across the rich spectrum of interpretations of Judith's story, she has come to signify a proto-feminist archetype, whose decisive violence and moral resolve save the fate of her people. At times, her image has been infused with eroticism, conflating passion with violence, signaling broader cultural anxieties surrounding female sexuality. In contrast, Alaux's interpretation resists this: Judith appears fully clothed, looking through the viewer with a direct and unwavering gaze. At the threshold of action, Judith's expression conveys determined ferocity, offering a nuanced reimagining of heroic courage.
  • Condition: **Surface dirt and toning of the varnish layer; area of inpainting upper right; patch en verso corresponds with inpainting lower/mid center.
    Frame with surface marks, nicks, losses along edges and separation in corners.


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