Woman holding head on platter- has been painted over?

Ok guys, I know I'm asking a lot, but perhaps someone who knows a bit about history/art can help me. About 10 years ago I saw a painting in our local art gallery, and just recently have started searching for it.

It was a fairly dark painting, I'm guessing somewhere in the 1200-1700 by the dress, though I could definately be off. It was a woman holding what was NOW I believe a fruit bowl, but we were told the story behind it was that someone had been beheaded (don't remember who) and the woman had asked to have herself painted holding this head on a platter. Years later, someone said the painting was too scary, or grotesque or something, and the head had been painted over to show a fruit bowl or something similiar. You could see in the painting where it was very obvious that this was true, the color didn't match the original painting at all.

Can anyone help me find this? Or at least know who it was a painting of? I'll be forever greatful.

Thanks for the suggestions guys, I still can't seem to find it, although the second scenerio you mentioned- with "judith" seems to fit more what I had in my mind.
I believe the woman in the painting was some sort of noble. The painting was very much portrait style- she was posed, and I believe she was the only one in the painting, looking straight at the artist. Part of me keeps wanting to think the head was of a woman, perhaps a former wife or mistress of her husband? I may be reaching..

Have a look at the Caravaggio one. And also, there is a very gruesome one by Artemisia Gentileschi, which might be the one you are looking for. (couple of hours later: I think I'm thinking of Judith with the head of Holofernes rather than Salome with the head of John the Baptist).

If it was Artemisia, then it was a self-portrait with the head of the man who raped her! Report It

It sounds like the Salome with the head of John the Baptist theme, many painters interpreted this story, do an image search for the title.