The bronze statue Judith and Holofernes (1460), created by 'Donatello at the end of his career, can be seen in the Hall of Lilies (Sala dei Gigli), in the Palazzo Vecchio, Florence, Italy. A copy stands on the Piazza della Signoria, in front of the Palazzo Vecchio. Statue of Donatello at the Uffizi Donatello (Donato di Niccolò di Betto Bardi) (1386 - December 13, 1466) was a famous Florentine artist and sculptor of the Early Renaissance. ... Original name of the Palazzo Vecchio, before the government of the Republic of Florence was moved to the Uffizi under Cosimo I de Medici. ... Founded 59 BC as Florentia Region Tuscany Mayor Leonardo Domenici (Democratici di Sinistra) Area  - City Proper  102 km² Population  - City (2004)  - Metropolitan  - Density (city proper) 356,000 almost 500,000 3,453/km² Time zone CET, UTC+1 Latitude Longitude 43°47 N 11°15 E www. ... The focal point of the origin and of the history of the Florentine Republic, the square still maintains its reputation as the political hub of the city. ...

Judith and Holofernes (original)

It was commissioned by Cosimo de' Medici as a decoration for the fountain in the garden of the Palazzo Medici-Riccardi. It stood in this palace together with the David of Donatello, standing in the courtyard, both depicting tyrant slayers. These two statues are among the earliest freestanding Italian Renaissance statues. Jacopo Pontormo: Cosimo de Medici, 1518-1519 Cosimo di Giovanni de Medici (September 27, 1389, Florence – August 1, 1464, Careggi), was the first of the Medici political dynasty, rulers of Florence during most of the Italian Renaissance; also known as Cosimo the Elder and Cosimo Pater Patriae. ... By region Italian Renaissance Spanish Renaissance Northern Renaissance French Renaissance German Renaissance English Renaissance The Renaissance, also known as Il Rinascimento (in Italian), was an influential cultural movement which brought about a period of scientific revolution and artistic transformation, at the dawn of modern European history. ...

Judith is considered the symbol of liberty, virtue and victory of the weak over the strong in a just cause. She stands powerful with raised sword, holding the head of Holofernes by his hair. The sword was originally gilded and its shine in the sunlight must have made the onlookers stare at it. On the granite pedestal there is an inscription : "Kingdoms fall through luxury [sin], cities rise through virtues. Behold the neck of pride severed by the hand of humility". This dramatic and detailed statue is thus a metaphor of the Medici rule, as the defenders of Florentine liberty, akin to Judith, slayer of the tyrant Holofernes and defender of her people. This is illustrated by a second inscription on the pedestal: "The salvation of the state. Piero de' Medici son of Cosimo dedicated this statue of a woman both to liberty and to fortitude, whereby the citizens with unvanquished and constant heart might return to the republic." Donatello was very pleased with his work and, for the first time, he signed this sculpture with "Donatelli opus" (the work of Donatelli) Judith with the Head of Holophernes, by Christophano Allori, 1613 (Pitti Palace, Florence The Book of Judith is a parable, or perhaps the first historical novel according to Jewish authorities, who do not place it among the writings of the Tanakh or Hebrew Bible. ... In language, a metaphor is a rhetorical trope defined as a direct comparison between two seemingly unrelated subjects. ... The Medici family was a powerful and influential Florentine family from the 13th to 17th century. ... Holofernes appears in the deuterocanonical Book of Judith as a general of Nebuchadnezzar. ...

In 1495 it was placed on the Piazza della Signoria, at the side of main door the Palazzo Vecchio, in memory of the expulsion of Piero di Lorenzo de' Medici from Florence and the introduction of the Florentine republic under Girolamo Savonarola. This time, this statue symbolized the expulsion of the tyrant Medici. The statue was later moved to the courtyard inside the Palazzo Vecchio, and still later into the Loggia dei Lanzi. In 1919 it was then placed on the left side of the Palazzo Vecchio. it was replaced by a bronze copy in 1988 and the original, after restoration, was given a final place in the Hall of Lilies inside the Palazzo Vecchio. Piero de Medici (the Unfortunate) (February 15, 1471 – December 28, 1503), the untalented, arrogant and undisciplined oldest son of Lorenzo de Medici (the Magnificent), and brother of Pope Leo X. Shortly after he took over as leader of Florence in 1492, Charles VIII of France entered Italy in 1494 with... Girolamo Savonarola by Fra Bartolomeo, ca 1498 Girolamo Savonarola (Ferrara, then Duchy of Ferrara, September 21, 1452 – Florence, May 23, 1498), also translated as Jerome Savonarola or Hieronymous Savonarola, was a Italian Dominican priest and, briefly, ruler of Florence, who was known for religious reformation and anti-Renaissance preaching and... The Loggia dei Lanzi, also called the Loggia della Signoria, is a building on the Piazza della Signoria in Florence, adjoining the Uffizi Gallery. ...