Long-censored nude portrait to be digitally ‘unveiled’
Restorers work to undo coverup of 1616 artwork
FLORENCE, ITALY • Art restorers in the Italian city of Florence have begun a sixmonth project to clean and virtually “unveil” a long-censored nude painting by Artemisia Gentileschi, one of the most prominent women in the history of Italian art.
Swirling veils and drapery were added to the “Allegory of Inclination” some 70 years after Gentileschi painted the life-size female nude, believed to be a self-portrait, in 1616.
The work to reveal the image as originally painted comes as Gentileschi’s contribution to Italian Baroque art is getting renewed attention in the #Metoo era, both for her artistic achievements but also for breaking into the male-dominated art world after being raped by one of her art teachers.
Her work was featured in a 2020 exhibit at the National Gallery in London.
“Allegory of Inclination” originally was commissioned for the family home of Michelangelo Buonarroti the Younger, the greatnephew of the famed artist. The building later became the Casa Buonarotti museum, and the painting was displayed until recently on the ceiling in a gilded frame. When lead conservator Elizabeth Wick removed the painting in late September, a shower of 400-year-old dust was released.
Wick’s team of restorers is using ultraviolet light, diagnostic imaging and X-rays to differentiate Gentileschi’s brush strokes from those of the artist that covered the nudity. The public can watch the project underway at the museum through April 23.
Restorers won’t be able remove the veils because the coverup was done too soon after the original, raising the risk that Gentileschi’s painting would be damaged in the process.
Instead, the restoration team plans to create a digital image of the original version that will be displayed in an exhibition on the project opening in September 2023.
Gentileschi arrived in Florence shortly after the trial in Rome of her rapist, during which the then-17year-old was forced to testify with ropes tied around her fingers that were progressively tightened in a test of her honesty. Eventually, her rapist was convicted.
Gentileschi was 22 when she painted “Allegory of Inclination.” Some 70 years later, a member of the Buonarroti family decided to have it embellished to protect the sensibilities of his wife and children.