Self-Portrait as a Lute Player

Self-Portrait as a Lute Player is a painting by the Italian baroque artist Artemisia Gentileschi. Executed between 1616 and 1618, it hangs in the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, Hartford, Connecticut, US.[1][2]

Self-Portrait as a Lute Player
ArtistArtemisia Gentileschi 
Year1610s
CollectionWadsworth Atheneum, Villa Medici 
IdentifiersRKDimages ID: 266098

Description

The artist depicts herself in the guise of a "gypsy-musician", denoted by the headscarf and low-cut blouse; these style of entertainers would have appeared at Italian court performances.[3] The accurate depiction of the lute as well as the finger positioning has led historians to believe that the artist had first-hand experience with the instrument.[3] The composition is closely related to two other contemporaneous depictions of Saint Catherine of Alexandria, which suggests that the artist was using her self-portraits as a means of establishing her reputation in Florence.[3]

History

It is believed to have been painted for the Medici family in Florence, based on a 1638 inventory of Villa Medici in Artimino.[4] From 1683, its provenance is unknown until it was sold at Sotheby's London in 1998.[3]

References
  1. "Wadsworth Atheneum Collection". argus.wadsworthatheneum.org. Retrieved 2017-03-12.
  2. "Orazio and Artemisia Gentileschi | MetPublications | The Metropolitan Museum of Art". www.metmuseum.org. Retrieved 2017-03-12.
  3. Treves, Letizia (2020). Artemisia. London: The National Gallery Company Ltd.
  4. "Immunity From Seizure: Artemisia" (PDF). The National Gallery, London. The National Gallery, London.
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