Copy after Ponziano Loverini

At Colasanti, auction house in Rome, they sell on 27 March a good copy after Ponziano Loverini, Italian artist, a work which is held in the Vatican Museum. Strangely, the auction house doesn't seem to be aware of this and simply calls it "French School, 19th century", without a subject (it looks at first like a Judith with the head of Holofernes, but it is Saint Grata collecting the remains of Saint Alexander). Measuring 100 by 60 cm, it is estimated at 600 to 800 Euro, which seems reasonable. UPDATE: not sold.

The original (here pictured in its location, photo from Wikimedia Commons) is not only a lot larger but also a lot more detailed: the copy is good, but starts to fail when seen in closer detail (which the auction site luckily provides!).

If you do prefer a Judith and Holofernes, the same auction also holds a decent one for an estimated 3,000 to 4,000 Euro. UPDATE: not sold. No idea who painted it though, they give it as Italian School, 17th century. The head of Judith is a bit strange though, although I love they way she looks, as if saying "Happy now?"

Even though many Judiths are quite similar of course, the closest I could find was strange enough the Judith by Rubens. Whether there is any reason for this, and in what way the connection works, is not clear to me though.