Estimate
€ 70.000 - 100.000
Aggiudicato
Current bid Starting bid
€ 68.000
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At auction on Wednesday 26 November 2025 at 18:00
Information
oil on canvas
97.5 x 133 cm
Francesca Cappelletti suggests that also the painting presented here is by several artists, which is evident in some qualitative differences: the extremely high quality of Judith's refined robe recalls similar passages in Orazio's work; see, for example, the white draperies and fabrics of the Judith and the Maid with the Head of Holofernes in the Wadsworth Atheneum in Hartford or the painting of the same subject in the National Museum in Oslo. The execution of the faces, however, is different and shows some weaknesses of a more uncertain hand. The excellent overall quality of the work nonetheless leads the scholar to identify the prototype of this successful invention with our version, rather than with the one in the Milanese collection (F. Cappelletti 2018, p. 137).
It's important to remember that the composition is part of a controversial critical issue, linked to the famous 1611-12 trial of Orazio Gentileschi against Agostino Tassi. Indeed, in addition to rape and the failure to promise marriage to Artemisia, Agostino was accused of appropriating several paintings from Gentileschi's workshop, including a Judith of "capace grandezza", likely painted by Artemisia. Various hypotheses have been put forward by critics for the identification of this Judith cited in the trial papers: from a Judith and the Handmaid from a private collection (K. Christiansen in Orazio and Artemisia Gentileschi , exhibition catalogue edited by K. Christiansen and J. Mann, New Haven-London 2001, pp. 84-85) to the replica of the famous Hartford Judith preserved in the Vatican Pinacoteca, up to the Judith and Holofernes exhibited in Milan, Palazzo Reale in 2011 which constitutes, in fact, a second version of the present lot (P. Biscottin, essay in Artemisia Gentileschi. Storia di una passione , exhibition catalogue edited by R. Contini and F. Solinas, Pero 2011, pp. 138-139, n. 4).
97.5 x 133 cm
Provenance
Ferrara, private collection
Literature
F. Cappelletti, Strade, palazzi e botteghe. Incontri e circostanze più o meno casuali nelle relazioni artistiche a Roma nel primo Seicento e un quesito per la bottega dei Gentileschi, in Roma e gli artisti stranieri. Integrazione, reti e identità, edited by A. Varela Braga and T.L. True, Roma 2018, pp. 136-137, fig. 2
The work, published in 2018 by Francesca Cappelletti, is related to another painting (Milan, private collection) that was exhibited at the 2011 exhibition at the Palazzo Reale in Milan with the attribution to Orazio Gentileschi and assistants (P. Biscottin, essay in Artemisia Gentileschi. Storia di una passione , exhibition catalogue, edited by R. Contini and F. Solinas (Milano, Palazzo Reale, 22 September 2011 - 29 January 2012), Pero 2011, pp. 138-139, no. 4). The Milanese canvas appears unfinished as regards the heads of Judith and Holofernes, but the composition is otherwise absolutely similar to that of the work offered in this lot, with the most evident variations being evident in the choice of chromatic tones.Francesca Cappelletti suggests that also the painting presented here is by several artists, which is evident in some qualitative differences: the extremely high quality of Judith's refined robe recalls similar passages in Orazio's work; see, for example, the white draperies and fabrics of the Judith and the Maid with the Head of Holofernes in the Wadsworth Atheneum in Hartford or the painting of the same subject in the National Museum in Oslo. The execution of the faces, however, is different and shows some weaknesses of a more uncertain hand. The excellent overall quality of the work nonetheless leads the scholar to identify the prototype of this successful invention with our version, rather than with the one in the Milanese collection (F. Cappelletti 2018, p. 137).
It's important to remember that the composition is part of a controversial critical issue, linked to the famous 1611-12 trial of Orazio Gentileschi against Agostino Tassi. Indeed, in addition to rape and the failure to promise marriage to Artemisia, Agostino was accused of appropriating several paintings from Gentileschi's workshop, including a Judith of "capace grandezza", likely painted by Artemisia. Various hypotheses have been put forward by critics for the identification of this Judith cited in the trial papers: from a Judith and the Handmaid from a private collection (K. Christiansen in Orazio and Artemisia Gentileschi , exhibition catalogue edited by K. Christiansen and J. Mann, New Haven-London 2001, pp. 84-85) to the replica of the famous Hartford Judith preserved in the Vatican Pinacoteca, up to the Judith and Holofernes exhibited in Milan, Palazzo Reale in 2011 which constitutes, in fact, a second version of the present lot (P. Biscottin, essay in Artemisia Gentileschi. Storia di una passione , exhibition catalogue edited by R. Contini and F. Solinas, Pero 2011, pp. 138-139, n. 4).
Contact
Condition report
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The department will provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Please note that what Finarte declares with respect to the state of conservation of the objects corresponds only to a qualified opinion and that we are not professional conservators or restorers.
We urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. We always suggest prospective buyers to inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition during the exhibition days as indicated in the catalog.
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