Donatello's bronze sculpture of Judith, once located in the garden of the Palazzo Medici in Florence, was one of the most visible works within the family's collection of art and today is considered a critical monument within the art historical canon of Renaissance sculpture (Figure 8.1). While its earliest history is unknown, by the mid-1460s the sculpture was installed in Palazzo Medici, where it remained for nearly 30 years until its forced removal to Palazzo della Signoria in 1495. Considered to be the first monumental sculpture of the Jewish heroine, the bronze figure emphasizes the action of beheading in its compositional design. Judith stands with her right arm raised in the air, poised to strike the neck of Holofernes, whose hair she holds in her left hand. Holofernes is awkwardly positioned beneath her, and the contortion of his head in relation to his body indicates that he has already received one blow and is prepared to suffer the second and fatal strike of the sword. Judith's steadfast expression and erect posture above the tyrant visualizes her sacred female authority.

During its installation within the garden of Palazzo Medici, the Judith was raised on a column, which had two (no longer extant) inscriptions attached to it. The first inscription proclaimed,