CHARIOT OF VICTORY: Judith with the Head of Holofernes

Austria, second half of the 18th century

Judith is sitting in a chariot of victory, the kind that was the due of em­presses: it is lined, like the chariot of the Austrian emperor, with red velvet; the canopy, fashioned from brass, bears the crown of the Aus­trian emperor, and reliefs of insignia on two sides. When the clockwork under the chariot is wound, Judith, the Biblical figure, moves both arms, holding in one hand a sword, and the cut-off head of Holofernes in the other. The chariot is drawn by two lions, whose body is made of wood and is covered with lion leather. The precise history of the object is un­known, it was probably a present for a monarch. No similar object is known in Hungary or elsewhere.

Collection of Museum of Applied Arts, Budapest