| Jael and Sisera | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Artist | Artemisia Gentileschi  |
| Year | 1620 |
| Medium | oil paint, canvas |
| Dimensions | 86 cm (34 in) × 125 cm (49 in) |
| Location | Museum of Fine Arts |
| Accession No. | 75.11 |
Jael and Sisera is a painting by the Italian Baroque artist Artemisia Gentileschi, executed around 1620.
The topic of the canvas is taken from the Book of Judges, verses 4:11-22 and 5:24-31. It depicts the moment in which a Kenite woman Jael is about to kill Sisera, a defeated Canaanite general. After his defeat by the Israelites he flees to a nearby settlement, where Jael takes him in, promises to feed him and hide him from the authorities. The moment he is asleep she drives a tent peg through his temple; an act that earned Jael praise for her courage in the biblical text. [1]
Through the Middle Ages, the story is depicted in parallel with Judith, the personified virtue Humilitas, and the Blessed Virgin Mary, amongst others. [2] Assorted and varied images can be found in manuscripts of the 14th century Speculum Humanae Salvationis. [3] Artistic depictions of the story are common in the Middle Ages and throughout the Modern Era. [4]
Gentileschi and others of her generation, produced an array of paintings of strong female women in literature, including Judith's beheading of Holofernes. Agostino Tassi was both her teacher and then her convicted rapist. [5] It is also said that he was the model for Holofernes. [6] Sisera has a striking resemblance to Holofornes and Tassi as well.
While the Jael story was less frequently portrayed in painting, historians believe that Artemisia's canvas was influenced by the work of Florentine artist Ludovico Cigoli. [1] Her portrayal differs however, in the way that it develops a clear visual separation of the two figures, as opposed to Cigoli's compressed rendering. [1] Jael's golden gown contrasts strongly with Sisera's red and blue garments, which is thought to signal her "virtue and imminent victory." [7]
The date, 1620 can be seen at the bottom of the Artist's prominent signature, carved in to the pillar. [8] The awkward placement of Jael's right hand is thought to have been deliberately designed to highlight the signature. [1] While the date places Artemisia in Rome, she signs this painting, "Artemisia Lomi," suggesting a Florentine patron. While living and working in Florence, Artemisia adopted this surname, which highlighted her relationship to her uncle Aurelio, already established in the city, rather than the Roman Gentileschi, to strengthen her ties to potential patrons. [9]
Aside from this clue the source of patronage for this painting is unknown. The prominence of the artist's signature indicate that this was a work she felt worthy of praise. The three-line signature reads, "ARETEMITA LOMI/FACIBAT/MDCXX." This is the first example of Artemisia using the imperfect tense of the Latin verb Facibat, perhaps a reference to the way in which Michelangelo signed his Pieta. [9]
This painting was restored in 1978 by Veronika Ember. Prior to restoration the painting had extensive paint loss in the upper left and lower right hand corners. As a result of the restoration the highlights on Sisera skirt were strengthened and some of the shadows are more mechanical in nature than those you would expect to see by Artemisia's hand. The signature remained intact. [10]
The work was first documented in the imperial collection in Vienna in 1781, upon its transfer to Bratislava Castle. [11] Three years later, it was transferred to the Royal Palace in Buda, from where it may have been dispersed in 1856. [11] The work appeared at auction in Budapest in 1974, at which point it was purchased by its current owners. [11] The painting currently hangs in the Szepmuveszeti Museum, Budapest. [8]
Artemisia Lomi or Artemisia Gentileschi was an Italian Baroque painter. Gentileschi is considered among the most accomplished seventeenth-century artists, initially working in the style of Caravaggio. She was producing professional work by the age of 15. In an era when women had few opportunities to pursue artistic training or work as professional artists, Gentileschi was the first woman to become a member of the Accademia di Arte del Disegno in Florence and she had an international clientele.
Orazio Lomi Gentileschi (1563–1639) was an Italian painter. Born in Tuscany, he began his career in Rome, painting in a Mannerist style, much of his work consisting of painting the figures within the decorative schemes of other artists.
Judith Slaying Holofernes is a painting by the Italian early Baroque artist Artemisia Gentileschi, completed in 1612-13 and now at the Museo Capodimonte, Naples, Italy. The picture is considered one of her iconic works. The canvas shows Judith beheading Holofernes. The subject takes an episode from the apocryphal Book of Judith in the Old Testament, which recounts the assassination of the Assyrian general Holofernes by the Israelite heroine Judith. The painting shows the moment when Judith, helped by her maidservant Abra, beheads the general after he has fallen asleep in a drunken stupor. She painted a second version now in the Uffizi, Florence, somewhere between 1613 and 1621.
Self-Portrait as the Allegory of Painting, also known as Autoritratto in veste di Pittura or simply La Pittura, was painted by the Italian Baroque artist Artemisia Gentileschi. The oil-on-canvas painting measures 98.6 by 75.2 centimetres and was probably produced during Gentileschi's stay in England between 1638 and 1639. It was in the collection of Charles I and was returned to the Royal Collection at the Restoration (1660) and remains there. In 2015 it was put on display in the "Cumberland Gallery" in Hampton Court Palace.
Venus and Cupid (Sleeping Venus) is a circa 1626 painting by Artemisia Gentileschi in the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. Venus and Cupid is a depiction of a sleeping Venus, who reclines on a blue bed covering and rich crimson and gold tasseled pillow. She wears nothing except a thin wisp of transparent linen around her thigh. Her son Cupid fans her with richly colored peacock feathers as she drifts to sleep. He is gazing at her with an adored, raptured expression. In the background, there is a window looking out onto a moonlight landscape where a temple to the goddess lies. Venus's face has full cheeks, heavy lids, a prominent nose, and small protruding chin—all features of Gentileschi's own face. The body movements are natural: Venus's hand rests lightly on her side, her legs are gently laid together. The work blends together realism and classicism through its iconography and the artist's style.
Susanna and the Elders is a 1610 painting by the Italian Baroque artist Artemisia Gentileschi and is her earliest-known signed and dated work. It was one of Gentileschi's signature works. She painted several variations of the scene in her career. It currently hangs at Schloss Weißenstein in Pommersfelden, Germany. The work shows an uncomfortable Susanna with two men lurking above her while she is in the bath. The subject matter comes from the deuterocanonical Book of Susanna in the Additions to Daniel. This was a popular scene to paint during the Baroque period.
Esther Before Ahasuerus is a painting by the 17th-century Italian artist Artemisia Gentileschi. It shows the biblical heroine Esther going before Ahasuerus to beg him to spare her people. The painting is now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, having been donated to the museum by Elinor Dorrance Ingersoll in 1969. It is one of Gentileschi's lesser known works, but her use of lighting, characterization, and style help in successfully portraying Esther as a biblical heroine as well as the main protagonist of the work.
Judith and her Maidservant is a c. 1615 painting by the Italian baroque artist Artemisia Gentileschi. The painting depicts Judith and her maidservant leaving the scene where they have just beheaded general Holofernes, whose head is in the basket carried by the maidservant. It hangs in the Pitti Palace, Florence.
Self-Portrait as a Lute Player is one of many self-portrait paintings made by the Italian baroque artist Artemisia Gentileschi. It was created between 1615 and 1617 for the Medici family in Florence. Today, it hangs in the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, Hartford, Connecticut, US. It shows the artist posing as a lute player looking directly at the audience. The painting has symbolism in the headscarf and outfit that portray Gentileschi in a costume that resembles a Romani woman. Self-Portrait as a Lute Player has been interpreted as Gentileschi portraying herself as a knowledgeable musician, a self portrayal as a prostitute, and as a fictive expression of one aspect of her identity.
Judith and Her Maidservant is one of four paintings by the Italian baroque artist Artemisia Gentileschi that depicts the biblical story of Judith and Holofernes. This particular work, executed in about 1623 to 1625, now hangs in the Detroit Institute of Arts. The narrative is taken from the deuterocanonical Book of Judith, in which Judith seduces and then murders the general Holofernes. This precise moment illustrates the maidservant Abra wrapping the severed head in a bag, moments after the murder, while Judith keeps watch. The other three paintings are now shown in the Museo di Capodimonte in Naples, the Palazzo Pitti in Florence, and the Musée de la Castre in Cannes.
Self-Portrait as a Female Martyr, is also known as the Self-Portrait as a Martyr Saint. This painting was created by the Italian female artist, Artemisia Gentileschi. This self-portrait was made around 1615 depicting the artist herself as a martyr. It is one of two paintings by Gentileschi painted with oil on a wood panel. This self-portrait is currently in a private collection in the United States.
Santa Cecilia is an early painting, from c. 1620, by the Baroque painter Artemisia Gentileschi, a painter described as "a grand exception in the history of art - a successful woman painter in an era in which art was dominated by men."
Pentinent Magdalene is a 1616–1618 painting by the Italian baroque artist Artemisia Gentileschi. This painting hangs in the Pitti Palace in Florence. The subject is the biblical figure Mary Magdalene, but the painting references another biblical woman, Mary, the sister of Lazarus. This painting was likely painted in Florence during Gentileschi's Florentine Period.
The Allegory of Painting is an painting from around the 1640s attributed in 1988 to the Italian Baroque artist Artemisia Gentileschi, although more recent research suggests it was painted by an anonymous Neapolitan painter in the mid-XVIIth century. It is now in the Musee de Tesse, Le Mans, France.
Corisca and the Satyr was painted in the 1630s by the Italian artist Artemisia Gentileschi. It currently hangs in a private collection.
Susanna and the Elders is one of several paintings on this theme executed by the Italian baroque artist Artemisia Gentileschi. This version, painted in 1649, hangs in the Moravian Gallery in Brno, Czech Republic. It is signed with Gentileschi's signature and the date on the balustrade on the right.
Lucretia is a painting by the Italian baroque artist Artemisia Gentileschi. It depicts Lucretia, the wife of Roman consul and general Tarquinus, at the moment of her suicide. The decision to take her own life was made after she was blackmailed and raped by a fellow soldier of Tarquinus. It is one of a number of paintings of Gentileschi that focus on virtuous women ill-treated by men.
The Self Portrait of Italian baroque artist Artemisia Gentileschi was painted in the early 1630s. It currently hangs in the Palazzo Barberini, Rome. It is one of many paintings where Gentileschi depicts herself. Beyond self-portraits, her allegorical and religious paintings often featured herself in different guises.
Judith Slaying Holofernes c. 1620, now at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, is the renowned painting by Baroque artist Artemisia Gentileschi depicting the assassination of Holofernes from the apocryphal Book of Judith. When compared to her earlier interpretation from Naples c. 1612, there are subtle but marked improvements to the composition and detailed elements of the work. These differences display the skill of a cultivated Baroque painter, with the adept use of chiaroscuro and realism to express the violent tension between Judith, Abra, and the dying Holofernes.
Allegory of Inclination is a 1615-1617 oil on canvas painting by Artemisia Gentileschi on the ceiling of the Galleria in the Casa Buonarroti, in Florence. The painting depicts a young nude female seated in the heavens holding a compass. Her light-colored hair is elaborately styled and she is partially covered by swirling drapery. A star appears above her head.
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