HB 07 Judith

This portrait is a copy after a painting by Lucas Cranach from c. 1530. However, a portrait…. We see the biblical Judith, an exemplary strong woman. She was very courageous in, smartly dressed, managing to gain access to the tent of the enemy general Holofernes and subsequently beheading him. So what we see here, is it not a biblical scene rather than a portrait? No, it is definitely a portrait. Judith is attired in clothing from Cranach’s day and age. What is more, there are a number of this type of Judith portraits from Cranach’s workshop and in each one we see a different lady serving as the model for Judith. So apparently a German lady of high social standing chose this way to show who was exemplary to her. Portraits can reflect yourself or who you would like to be, but they also enable you to become an entirely different person.

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For centuries, Huis Bergh Castle was the ancestral castle of the powerful Van den Burgh counts. The castle's building history dates back to the 12th century. Jan Herman van Heek, an industrialist from Enschede, purchased the castle in 1912. He amassed a collection of late medieval artworks that are on display in the castle even today. There is also the possibility to have your (wedding)party here or stay the night in one of the luxury suits in a former defense tower.