Gentileschi, Artemisia (1593-c.1653)
Autoritratto come suonatrice di liuto (Self-Portrait as a Lute Player)
c.1615–1618
Oil on canvas, 77.5 x 71.8 cm
Wadsworth Atheneum, Hartford
Artemisia Gentileschi was one of the leading painters of the seventeenth century thanks to her innovative style, use of sensuous colors, and command of the brush. Trained by her father, Orazio, in Rome, she enjoyed extraordinary success during her lifetime. In this self-portrait, the artist wears a luxurious costume and plays the lute to portray herself as a cultivated woman. Her low-cut bodice and direct gaze create an erotic overtone that was in keeping with the traditional association of music and love. Gentileschi painted this self-portrait at a decisive phase of her career when she had established herself among the circle of elite patrons in Florence. In 1614, she was the first woman admitted to the prestigious Accademia del Disegno in Florence. This self-portrait was owned by the powerful Medici family, perhaps by Cosimo II de’ Medici, the grand duke of Tuscany, who admired Gentileschi’s work. (WA)
Compare:
Gentileschi, Artemisia (1593-c.1653)
Autoritratto come Santa Caterina d’Alessandria
c.1615–1617
National Gallery, London