Sacred and Secular Painting in the 17th Century

Question 1

The Lute Player

Answer 1

by Orazio Gentileschi from 1615 in Italy

• Currently in the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC
• The painting is considered a genre painting with a musical theme
• Orazio was a student of Caravaggio and was able to adopt his tenebrism
• This painting was the inspiration for Giuseppe Crespi’s Woman Playing a Lute

Question 2

Judith with Head of Holofernes

Answer 2

by Orazio Gentileleschi from 1611-12 in Italy

• Currently in Wadsworth Atheneum, an art museum, from Hartford, Connecticut
• The painting is a prime example of how Orazio mimicked Caravaggio’s style
• Unlike Caravaggio’s version, the scene takes place when Judith and Abra place the head in a basket before fleeing the Assyrian camp
• The painting is oil on canvas

Question 3

Judith and Maidservent with Head of Holofernes

Answer 3

by Artemesia Gentileschi from 1625 in Italy

• Unlike Caravaggio’s version, the scene takes place when Judith and Abra place the head in a basket before fleeing the Assyrian camp
• Currently in the Detroit Institute of Arts
• Throughout her career, Artemesia painted five painting depicting Judith and Holofernes
• Artemesia trained under her father within his studio
• Artemesia is often considered the most gifted artist of the 17th century

Question 4

Susanna and the Elders

Answer 4

by Artemesia Gentileschi from 1610 in Italy

• Depicts chapter 13 from the book of Daniel in which a Jewish wife is threatened by two elders that if she doesn’t sleep with them then they will accuse her of adultery
• Currently hangs in the Schloss Weißenstein in southern Germany
• The painting was completed when Artemesia was only 17
• Artemesia was the first woman to become a member of the Academy of Fine Arts in Florence