Saint Catherine of Alexandria (Artemisia Gentileschi)

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Saint Catherine of Alexandria
Oil on canvas
Dimensions78 cm × 61.5 cm (31 in × 24.2 in)
LocationUffizi, Florence

Saint Catherine of Alexandra is a painting by the Italian Baroque artist Artemisia Gentileschi. It is in the collection of the Uffizi, Florence.[1] Gentileschi likely used the same cartoon or preparatory drawing to create both this painting and the Self-Portrait as Saint Catherine of Alexandria (1615–1617), now in the National Gallery, London.[2][3]

Subject Matter

The painting is a representation of

palm frond
and wearing an elaborate gem-encrusted crown.

History

Provenance

While there is no clear evidence to identify a date for this painting, art historians believe it was created during the artist's time in Florence, when

Ferdinand I de' Medici.[4] By 1683, the painting was documented as being in the Medici collection at Villa Artimino, in the Apartment of the Courtly Ladies.[6] By 1890, the painting was in the collection of the Galleria dell'Accademia.[6]

Restoration

A significant campaign of restoration was completed in 1966, which recovered a painting once believed to be too fragile for public display.[7] The painting suffered further damage from the 1993 bombing near the Uffizi, which was subsequently restored.[7]

Scientific Analysis

Artemisia Gentileschi – Self-Portrait 5365

In 2019, this painting was examined by conservators in the Opificio delle Pietre Dure in Florence.[2][3] Infrared, ultraviolet, and x-ray studies demonstrated that Gentileschi changed the composition while she was in the middle of painting it. The underpainting reveals a female head wearing a turban, oriented towards the viewer.[2][3] This differs from Gentileschi's final composition in which Saint Catherine wears a crown and looks up towards heaven. Tracings from the National Gallery's Self-Portrait as Saint Catherine of Alexandria were compared to this underpainting and the study concluded that Gentileschi used the same cartoon or preparatory drawings for both of these images.[2][3] This conclusion provides evidence that Gentileschi used herself as a model when painting images of female martyrs.[3] In addition, the x-rays revealed a third face that was completely painted over in the final version. This was likely an initial sketch for an unrealized work of art, demonstrating that Gentileschi reused her canvases.[3] The final painted image is thought to represent a real person, according to art historians, and may depict Caterina de' Medici, Maria Maddalena of Austria or the artist herself.[4]

See also

References

  1. ISBN 1588390063
    .
  2. ^ a b c d "X-ray of Uffizi's Artemisia Gentileschi reveals a tantalising underpainting". theartnewspaper.com. 11 April 2019. Retrieved 11 April 2019.
  3. ^ a b c d e f "Newly Discovered Drawings Beneath a Work by Artemisia Gentileschi Suggest She Often Used Herself as a Model". artnet News. 7 March 2019. Retrieved 11 April 2019.
  4. ^ a b c d e Treves, Letizia (2020). Artemisia. London: The National Gallery Company Ltd.
  5. ^ Garrard, Mary D. (1989). Artemisia Gentileschi: The image of the female hero in Italian Baroque art. Princeton University Press.
  6. ^ a b "Immunity From Seizure: Artemisia" (PDF). The National Gallery, London.
  7. ^
    ISBN 0271017872
    .
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