Giuseppe Vermiglio
(Milan c. 1587–1635)
Judith Beheading Holofernes
c. 1610
oil on canvas
108 x 170 cm (42½ x 66⅞ in.)
‘I consider him the best painter in oils of which the ancient state of Piedmont could boast, and one of the best Italian artists of his times.’
Luigi Lanzi, Storia Pittorica della Italia, dal risorgimento delle Belle Arti fin presso al fine del XVIII secolo, 3rd ed., 6 vols, Bassano 1809, vol. V, pp. 377–8
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Artwork details
The years Giuseppe Vermiglio spent in Rome in the immediate proximity of the leading artistic figures of his day left an indelible mark on his early work. First recorded in the papal city in 1604, he demonstrated a profound fascination with the trailblazing naturalism of Caravaggio (1571–1610). His introduction to the Roman art scene was facilitated by Adriano da Monteleone, a painter and art dealer who brought him into a network centred on Caravaggio’s acquaintances and friends.
Vermiglio’s captivation with the work of Caravaggio endured throughout his Roman period, positioning him among the master’s foremost followers. His first known public commission in Rome, The Incredulity of Saint Thomas (1612), painted for the church of S. Tommaso ai Cenci, offers clear evidence of his engagement with the Caravaggesque manner. His adaptations of Caravaggio’s compositions were so faithful that he is thought to have been granted viewing privileges of certain collections, enabling him to produce versions for his patrons – a distinction unparalleled among Caravaggio’s many followers.
Judith Beheading Holofernes – the closest interpretation of Caravaggio’s Judith Beheading Holofernes (Palazzo Barberini, Rome) – is a prime example. The striking fidelity of Vermiglio’s rendition suggests that he had rare access to the collection of the otherwise private Ottavio Costa (1554–1639), a wealthy banker and important collector of Caravaggio’s work. Such connections indicate that Vermiglio occupied a significant position within the fiercely competitive market for reproductions of Caravaggio’s paintings. In its unflinching brutality, Vermiglio’s treatment of the biblical scene is instantly recognisable, bearing vivid testimony to the influence of Caravaggio’s invention on its many interpreters.
Probably Amedeo Dal Pozzo, Marchese di Voghera (1579–1644), Palazzo del Pozzo, Turin, by 1634 and before 1644; and thence by family descent in the collection of the principi Dal Pozzo della Cisterna, Palazzo del Pozzo, Turin, until the mid-nineteenth century;
Private collection, Belgium, and by descent to Annette Leemann, Belgium;
with Frascione Arte, Florence;
The Klesch Collection.
Düsseldorf, Museum Kunstpalast, Hinter dem Vorhang. Verhüllung und Enthüllung seit der Renaissance – von Tizian bis Christo, 1 October 2016 – 22 January 2017;
Rome, Palazzo Barberini, Caravaggio and Artemisia: The Challenge of Judith. Violence and Seduction in 16th and 17th century Painting, 26 November 2021 – 27 March 2022, no. II.7.
Probably Inventaro [sic] de quadri di Pittura dell’Illustrissimo Signor Don Amedeo del Pozzo, Marchese di Voghera Pictoribus atque poëtis Quidlibet audendi semper fuit equa potestas, 20 July 1634, MS, Archivio di Stato, Biella (Archivio Dal Pozzo della Cisterna, Storia della Famiglia, serie II, mazzo 16), under ‘Copie de Pittori antichi’: ‘f. 21v… Vermiglio Giudit che taglia il Capo ad’Oloferno, Copia del Vermiglio, alta un raso e sette ottavi, larga tre rasi, e un’ottavo/ D.20’ (Cifani and Monetti 2001, p. 46);
A. Cifani and F. Monetti, ‘“L’Illustrissimo cugino”: Cassiano e Amedeo Dal Pozzo. Le relazioni artistiche del Marchese di Voghera e la storia della sua quadreria’, in I Segreti di un Collezionista: Le straordinarie raccolte di Cassiano dal Pozzo (1588–1657), F. Solinas (ed.), exh. cat., Museo del Territorio Biellese, Biella, Rome 2001, pp. 34, 46, under no. 219;
G. Papi, ‘Giuseppe Vermiglio: “Judith Beheading Holofernes”: A pledge of loyalty to Caravaggio’, in Grassi Studio, Italian Paintings with an unpublished ‘Judith Beheading Holofernes’ by Giuseppe Vermiglio, Florence 2015, pp. 118–27; repr.;
O. Bätschmann and C. Blümle (eds.), Hinter dem Vorhang. Verhüllung und Enthüllung seit der Renaissance – von Tizian bis Christo, exh. cat., Museum Kunstpalast, Düsseldorf, 2016, p. 187, 325.
C. Blümle, ‘Gewalt der Enthüllung’, in Hinter dem Vorhang: Verhüllung und Enthüllung seit der Renaissance – von Tizian bis Christo, C. Blümle and B. Wismer (eds), exh. cat., Museum Kunstpalast, Düsseldorf 2016, pp. 187, 325, repr.;
M.C. Terzaghi, ‘Il San Giovanni Battista e i Caravaggio Costa. Novità e riflessioni’, in V. Siemoni (ed.), Da Caravaggio, il San Giovanni Battista Costa e le sue copie: atti della giornata di studio, Empoli 11 aprile 2015, Empoli 2016, pp. 13–14, 17, fig. 9;
G. Papi, ‘Riflessioni sui dipinti di Caravaggio per Ottavio Costa, sulle copie e sulla nuova “Giuditta” di Giuseppe Vermiglio’, in Entro l’aria bruna d’una camera rinchiusa. Scritti su Caravaggio e l’ambiente caravaggesco, Naples 2016, pp. 14–15, 18, fig. 10;
G. Papi, ‘La Giuditta che decapita Oloferne di Giuseppe Vermiglio. Una prova di fedeltà caravaggesca’, in Entro l’aria bruna d’una camera rinchiusa. Scritti su Caravaggio e l’ambiente caravaggesco, Naples 2016, pp. 191–200, figs 1–3;
M. Cuppone, ‘“Un Quadro ch’io gli dipingo”. Nuova luce su Caravaggio per Ottavio Costa, dalla Giuditta al San Giovanni Battista’, in P. Carofano (ed.), Atti delle Giornate di Studi Caravaggio e i suoi, Pisa 2017, p. 62 n. 13;
M.C. Terzaghi, ‘Vermiglio, Giuseppe’, in Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani, Instituto della Enciclopedia Italiana (ed.), Rome 2020, vol. XCVIII, pp. 785–86;
M.C. Terzaghi, ‘La Giuditta di Caravaggio e i suoi primi interpreti’, in Caravaggio e Artemisia: la sfida di Giuditta: Violenza e seduzione nella pittura tra Cinque e Seicento, M.C. Terzaghi (ed.), exh. cat., Palazzo Barberini, Rome 2021, pp. 61 and 67;
C. Dominioni in Caravaggio e Artemisia: la sfida di Giuditta: Violenza e seduzione nella pittura tra Cinque e Seicento, M.C. Terzaghi (ed.), exh. cat., Palazzo Barberini, Rome 2021, pp. 117–19, no. II.7, repr., and p. 148, under no. III.19;
F. Frangi, ‘Giuseppe Vermiglio e il Sacrificio di Isacco. Variazioni sul tema tra Roma e la Lombardia’, in Il Mistero del Padre: Il segno di Michelangelo, L. Polo D’Ambrosio, S. De Maron, G. Melesi (eds), exh. cat., Palazzo delle Paure, Lecco 2023, p. 53.
If you would like to use this image for educational purposes, please contact us.
Hover to zoom to maximum level or click to enlarge
Giuseppe Vermiglio
(Milan c. 1587–1635)
Judith Beheading Holofernes
c. 1610
oil on canvas
108 x 170 cm (42½ x 66⅞ in.)
‘I consider him the best painter in oils of which the ancient state of Piedmont could boast, and one of the best Italian artists of his times.’
Luigi Lanzi, Storia Pittorica della Italia, dal risorgimento delle Belle Arti fin presso al fine del XVIII secolo, 3rd ed., 6 vols, Bassano 1809, vol. V, pp. 377–8
Artwork details
The years Giuseppe Vermiglio spent in Rome in the immediate proximity of the leading artistic figures of his day left an indelible mark on his early work. First recorded in the papal city in 1604, he demonstrated a profound fascination with the trailblazing naturalism of Caravaggio (1571–1610). His introduction to the Roman art scene was facilitated by Adriano da Monteleone, a painter and art dealer who brought him into a network centred on Caravaggio’s acquaintances and friends.
Vermiglio’s captivation with the work of Caravaggio endured throughout his Roman period, positioning him among the master’s foremost followers. His first known public commission in Rome, The Incredulity of Saint Thomas (1612), painted for the church of S. Tommaso ai Cenci, offers clear evidence of his engagement with the Caravaggesque manner. His adaptations of Caravaggio’s compositions were so faithful that he is thought to have been granted viewing privileges of certain collections, enabling him to produce versions for his patrons – a distinction unparalleled among Caravaggio’s many followers.
Judith Beheading Holofernes – the closest interpretation of Caravaggio’s Judith Beheading Holofernes (Palazzo Barberini, Rome) – is a prime example. The striking fidelity of Vermiglio’s rendition suggests that he had rare access to the collection of the otherwise private Ottavio Costa (1554–1639), a wealthy banker and important collector of Caravaggio’s work. Such connections indicate that Vermiglio occupied a significant position within the fiercely competitive market for reproductions of Caravaggio’s paintings. In its unflinching brutality, Vermiglio’s treatment of the biblical scene is instantly recognisable, bearing vivid testimony to the influence of Caravaggio’s invention on its many interpreters.
Probably Amedeo Dal Pozzo, Marchese di Voghera (1579–1644), Palazzo del Pozzo, Turin, by 1634 and before 1644; and thence by family descent in the collection of the principi Dal Pozzo della Cisterna, Palazzo del Pozzo, Turin, until the mid-nineteenth century;
Private collection, Belgium, and by descent to Annette Leemann, Belgium;
with Frascione Arte, Florence;
The Klesch Collection.
Düsseldorf, Museum Kunstpalast, Hinter dem Vorhang. Verhüllung und Enthüllung seit der Renaissance – von Tizian bis Christo, 1 October 2016 – 22 January 2017;
Rome, Palazzo Barberini, Caravaggio and Artemisia: The Challenge of Judith. Violence and Seduction in 16th and 17th century Painting, 26 November 2021 – 27 March 2022, no. II.7.
Probably Inventaro [sic] de quadri di Pittura dell’Illustrissimo Signor Don Amedeo del Pozzo, Marchese di Voghera Pictoribus atque poëtis Quidlibet audendi semper fuit equa potestas, 20 July 1634, MS, Archivio di Stato, Biella (Archivio Dal Pozzo della Cisterna, Storia della Famiglia, serie II, mazzo 16), under ‘Copie de Pittori antichi’: ‘f. 21v… Vermiglio Giudit che taglia il Capo ad’Oloferno, Copia del Vermiglio, alta un raso e sette ottavi, larga tre rasi, e un’ottavo/ D.20’ (Cifani and Monetti 2001, p. 46);
A. Cifani and F. Monetti, ‘“L’Illustrissimo cugino”: Cassiano e Amedeo Dal Pozzo. Le relazioni artistiche del Marchese di Voghera e la storia della sua quadreria’, in I Segreti di un Collezionista: Le straordinarie raccolte di Cassiano dal Pozzo (1588–1657), F. Solinas (ed.), exh. cat., Museo del Territorio Biellese, Biella, Rome 2001, pp. 34, 46, under no. 219;
G. Papi, ‘Giuseppe Vermiglio: “Judith Beheading Holofernes”: A pledge of loyalty to Caravaggio’, in Grassi Studio, Italian Paintings with an unpublished ‘Judith Beheading Holofernes’ by Giuseppe Vermiglio, Florence 2015, pp. 118–27; repr.;
O. Bätschmann and C. Blümle (eds.), Hinter dem Vorhang. Verhüllung und Enthüllung seit der Renaissance – von Tizian bis Christo, exh. cat., Museum Kunstpalast, Düsseldorf, 2016, p. 187, 325.
C. Blümle, ‘Gewalt der Enthüllung’, in Hinter dem Vorhang: Verhüllung und Enthüllung seit der Renaissance – von Tizian bis Christo, C. Blümle and B. Wismer (eds), exh. cat., Museum Kunstpalast, Düsseldorf 2016, pp. 187, 325, repr.;
M.C. Terzaghi, ‘Il San Giovanni Battista e i Caravaggio Costa. Novità e riflessioni’, in V. Siemoni (ed.), Da Caravaggio, il San Giovanni Battista Costa e le sue copie: atti della giornata di studio, Empoli 11 aprile 2015, Empoli 2016, pp. 13–14, 17, fig. 9;
G. Papi, ‘Riflessioni sui dipinti di Caravaggio per Ottavio Costa, sulle copie e sulla nuova “Giuditta” di Giuseppe Vermiglio’, in Entro l’aria bruna d’una camera rinchiusa. Scritti su Caravaggio e l’ambiente caravaggesco, Naples 2016, pp. 14–15, 18, fig. 10;
G. Papi, ‘La Giuditta che decapita Oloferne di Giuseppe Vermiglio. Una prova di fedeltà caravaggesca’, in Entro l’aria bruna d’una camera rinchiusa. Scritti su Caravaggio e l’ambiente caravaggesco, Naples 2016, pp. 191–200, figs 1–3;
M. Cuppone, ‘“Un Quadro ch’io gli dipingo”. Nuova luce su Caravaggio per Ottavio Costa, dalla Giuditta al San Giovanni Battista’, in P. Carofano (ed.), Atti delle Giornate di Studi Caravaggio e i suoi, Pisa 2017, p. 62 n. 13;
M.C. Terzaghi, ‘Vermiglio, Giuseppe’, in Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani, Instituto della Enciclopedia Italiana (ed.), Rome 2020, vol. XCVIII, pp. 785–86;
M.C. Terzaghi, ‘La Giuditta di Caravaggio e i suoi primi interpreti’, in Caravaggio e Artemisia: la sfida di Giuditta: Violenza e seduzione nella pittura tra Cinque e Seicento, M.C. Terzaghi (ed.), exh. cat., Palazzo Barberini, Rome 2021, pp. 61 and 67;
C. Dominioni in Caravaggio e Artemisia: la sfida di Giuditta: Violenza e seduzione nella pittura tra Cinque e Seicento, M.C. Terzaghi (ed.), exh. cat., Palazzo Barberini, Rome 2021, pp. 117–19, no. II.7, repr., and p. 148, under no. III.19;
F. Frangi, ‘Giuseppe Vermiglio e il Sacrificio di Isacco. Variazioni sul tema tra Roma e la Lombardia’, in Il Mistero del Padre: Il segno di Michelangelo, L. Polo D’Ambrosio, S. De Maron, G. Melesi (eds), exh. cat., Palazzo delle Paure, Lecco 2023, p. 53.
If you would like to use this image for educational purposes, please contact us.