c. 1615

Oil on canvas

1.31m by 1.03m

Soprintendenza alle Gallerie, Florence.

The Painting.

rom her early Florentine period, although Bissell dates this much later at 1635-6, this allegorical portrait may depict Anne of Austria as Minerva. While superficially and atypically classical in pose and costume, the work bears a naturalism in the subject's plain, unidealised features. Note the gorgon's head on the chair, reminiscent of Caravaggio's painting of Medusa in the Uffizi Gallery.

The Artist's Life.

t this stage, Artemisia was becoming established and earning professional regard in Florence. It is likely that this painting was commissioned by Marie de' Medici.

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