Evening Talk: Judith with the Head of Holofernes

Newly displayed in the Graves Galley for 2024, Judith with the Head of Holofernes after Carlo Saraceni (1579-1620) has undergone significant conservation work, thanks to generous funding from the Woodmansterne Art Conservation Awards 2023/2024. 

Join us for this special evening talk to celebrate this striking artwork, a powerful example of early Italian Baroque painting and a real highlight of Sheffield’s collection.

The story of Judith in the apocrypha is of a wise and courageous woman who steps onto the political stage and yet the history of art has largely reduced it to a gory snapshot of violence – why? Rev Suzanne Nockels will explore how the image of Judith has changed over time and how other biblical women who commit violent acts are portrayed in art.

We’ll then hear about the fascinating conservation project with paintings conservator, Eeva Kukkonen, who will take you through the different processes that were used to prepare the work to go on display and safeguard it for generations to come.

Rev Suzanne Nockels ran the 'Talking Life, Talking Art' sessions at Graves Gallery for many years, is a minister in the city and a chaplain at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals.

Eeva Kukkonen, ACR, is a paintings conservator and co-director of Critchlow & Kukkonen Ltd, a private conservation studio based in Sheffield. She has degrees in Art History (MA Arts) and Technical Art History (MLitt) from University of Glasgow and in Fine Art Conservation (MA) from Northumbria University. For over a decade, Eeva and the studio have carried out conservation work for Sheffield Museums, other local authority museums, the National Trust, historic houses, churches and private clients and collectors.