In the summer of 2025, I attended a Comic-Con event and worked an SCA booth, and I knew I wanted my cosplay to reflect my fascination with the German Renaissance. I decided to go as Judith from a Lucas Cranach painting, blending art history with a bit of theatrical flair.

Anyone familiar with the 16th-century German Renaissance is likely to have come across Lucas Cranach’s work. One of his most enduring and visually striking themes is Judith with the Head of Holofernes. Cranach typically painted Judith wearing the height of Saxon court fashion, fitting, given that his workshop was based in Wittenberg, at the heart of the Saxony court. For artists like me who recreate historical clothing, these paintings are a goldmine of detail and inspiration. I even have a replica on the wall of my crafting space. And honestly, the story behind them is just as captivating.

The tale comes from the Book of Judith, a deuterocanonical text included in the Septuagint and in the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Old Testament (but not in the Hebrew canon). The story tells of Judith, a beautiful Jewish widow in the city of Bethulia, who saves her people by seducing and then beheading the Assyrian general Holofernes after getting him drunk in his tent. It’s a tale of courage, cunning, and unexpected heroism, perfect material for an iconic cosplay.

Luckily, I already had several Saxony Court Gowns (also known as Cranach Gowns) that I’ve made over the years, so the costume base was ready to go. I chose my most recent gown from 2024 and added a high-end prop head from Dapper Cadaver. I sold some very high-end fabric from my stash to fund this fever dream. In addition, I purchased a foam LARP sword to complete the iconic look. The LARP sword was just a LOTR knock-off, but after a quick recolor, it did the trick, as the comic-con would not allow my real sword.

Unfortunately, I only managed to snap a couple of quick photos during the event, and they’re a bit rough. They were mostly taken mid-emote or while I was rushing somewhere. Still, it was a blast bringing a Cranach painting to life for the day.

I decided to do an official photoshoot the following week. I had to get some good use out of my Holofernes’ prop head. Here are some of the photos from that shoot. I studied photography on YouTube to improve my lighting techniques. I replaced my LARP sword with my lovely replica of a Holy Roman Empire sword I got a while back from Kult of Athena. I had a lot of fun with this shoot, and I’m pleased with the results. I also decided to take some in my 2023 gown just for fun. This may become a recurring theme from now on.

References

Cranach Digital Archives – https://lucascranach.org

Maryan W. Ainsworth, Joshua P. Waterman, Dorothy Mahon
German Paintings in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1350-1600
Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, N.Y.) 2013