Maffei's painting of a woman holding a sword and a head in a bowl was analysed by Erwin Panofsky. He suggested that it alludes to both the story of Judith and the story of Salome.
Erwin Panofsky analyzed Maffei's painting showing a woman holding a sword and a bowl containing a head. Based on this, he deduced that the artwork refers to both the story of Judith and the story of Salome.