Judith stands at the center, shown from the waist up, her head tilted slightly back and her gaze directed downward with half-closed eyes and parted lips. Her dark hair forms a wide halo around her head, setting off her pale skin against the gold-patterned background. Her right hand is raised and lightly clasps the hair of a severed head, which emerges from the deep shadow at the lower right.

The features of the head are barely visible, shrouded in darkness, but the closed eyes and mouth are discernible. The composition is tightly framed by a gilded border inscribed at the top with the words 'JUDITH UND HOLOFERNES'. The lower left corner shows a patch of turquoise-green color that softly blends into the surrounding gold and flesh tones.

Her left hand is visible at the lower right, its fingers splayed and painted with delicate, reddish shading that contrasts with the dark background. The light falls most strongly on Judith’s face, neck, and upper chest, creating a luminous effect against the darker shadows of her hair and the severed head. The paint handling varies between the smooth, almost translucent treatment of skin and the dense, textured application of gold leaf and patterned elements in the background and clothing. Judith I was painted by Gustav Klimt in 1901 and depicts the biblical heroine Judith holding the head of Holofernes after his beheading.

Klimt’s version focuses almost exclusively on Judith herself, cutting off most of Holofernes’ head at the edge of the canvas and omitting any weapon from the scene.