Masterpiece of the Week: Judith Slaying Holofernes by Artemisia Gentileschi, 1620

Judith Slaying Holofernes
Artemisia Gentileschi, 1620
Uffizi Gallery

The Biblical figure of Judith has often been used to represent Judaism itself. A Jewish widow, Judith was a noblewoman in the town of Bethulia which was under siege by an Assyrian army led by a tyrant called Holofernes. One night, Judith enchanted Holofernes with her great beauty as she and her maid, Abra, got the man intoxicated with wine. When Holofernes, passed out, Judith seized the opportunity to murder him so that she could protect her people. With Abra’s help, Judith used a sword to decapitate Holofernes—bringing his head as a trophy to Bethulia. Her people, so encouraged by the display, battled the Assyrians and won.


The story of Judith was a favorite of Artemisia Gentileschi who painted the subject twice. She was intrigued by the idea of a powerful woman. The first version, painted in Naples, is an excellent painting. However, her 1620 version, painted in Florence, is a superior work. Artemisia portrayed Judith in her trademark Artemisia gold—a symbol of strength. The strength of the women seems to reflect Artemisia’s personal fortitude.

Indicative of her quest for realism, Judith shows the veins and muscles of the dying man as he struggles—his legs tangled in his blood-red bed clothes—against the sword at his throat. Blood spurts from his wound onto the two women. Judith’s determination is readily apparent in her face and the tension in her arms as she wields the heavy sword is palpable.

This work is indicative of the power of Artemisia’s painting. Seeing this scene makes her historic induction as the first woman in the Academia seem very fitting indeed. Her talent knew no gender.

Masterpiece of the Week: The Libyan Sybil, 1651

The Libyan Sybil
Guercino, 1651
The Royal Collection

King George III was one of the most prolific art collectors of the Royal Family. Later, Queen Victoria would add to his collection as well as continue to purchase paintings by Baroque Italian painters.


This work by the Italian Painter Guercino (known as “The Squinter” for the way in which he studied his compositions through clenched eyes) was painted in 1651 for Ippolito Cattani of Bologna from whose estate King George later purchased the piece. It depicts the Libyan Sybil—the woman who prophesied the coming of the Messiah to the Gentiles. Guercino was known for his paintings of the twelve sybils. This Sybil was painted later in his life. By this point in his career, he had cast aside his usual Baroque tendencies of heavy chiaroscuro and instead, shown us a figure painted in half-shadow in regal, rich colors. The artist has also broken tradition by identifying the Sybil by a simple inscription in the book she’s reading as opposed to her usual artistic attribute of a lighted lamp.

For many centuries, the more Pagan symbol of the Sybil was used as a stand-in for Old Testament prophets. This device of communication was often employed in Italian art by Renaissance and Baroque artists. George III was fascinated by this sort of metaphor and eagerly added such paintings to his collection. 

Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection
Image Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

The Home Beautiful: The William Kent Shell Mirror, 1735-40

Mirror
Possibly by William Kent and John Boson
1735-1740
The Victoria & Albert Museum

With its symmetrical decoration, this mirror is an ideal example of the Baroque style that flourished in Italy in the late Seventeenth Century.  This updated, Eighteenth Century take on the Baroque mirror features an inner molding of a regular egg and leaf pattern and a double shell cresting.  This architectural piece clearly suggests the involvement of the celebrated William Kent who was known for his use of a double shell crest.

William Kent was extremely prolific in a variety of areas. For example, he designed a barge for Frederick, Prince of Wales (George II's eldest son, who died in 1751). The double shell cresting of this mirror is similar to the stern of the Prince's barge. Both this crest and the crest of the Prince’s barge also featured his symbol of the Three Feathers--the traditional badge of the Prince of Wales.

John Boson, who carried out the carving on the barge, may also have been responsible for carving this mirror.  Boson worked with Kent on many projects including carrying out Kent's designs at Chiswick House, London, for Richard Boyle, 3rd Earl of Burlington, and at Kew Palace, Surrey, for the Prince of Wales.

The oval mirror frame, dating to circa 1735, is crafted of carved and gilt pine. The frame is surmounted by a bearded head adorned by three ostrich feathers encircled by the coronet of the Prince of Wales with conventional shells behind. The whole of the frame is further adorned with acanthus foliage, rococo ornament and festoons.

Building of the Week: Château de Dampierre

French Baroque architecture reached a critical apex with the designs of architect Jules Hardouin Mansart. Mansart, one of the most notable architects of the Seventeenth Century, became closely associated with the grandeur and opulence which rose in prominence during the reign of Louis XIV. One of the hallmarks of Mansart’s designs was his use of the roofline which we now refer to as “Mansard”—named for the architect’s great-uncle, François Mansart. Also alled a “French Roof,” the Mansard roof is a four-sided hip roof in a gambrel style which is characterized by two slopes on each of its sides. The lower slope slants at a steeper angle than the upper and the whole of it is interrupted by dormer windows which afford additional useable space.

An excellent example of the Mansard roof can be found at the Château de Dampierre in Dampierre-en-Yvelines, in theVallée de Chevreuse, France. The Château, designed by Mansart, stands proudly behind ornate wrought iron gates. With its Mansard roof, balustrades, archways and heavy ornamentation, it is the height of French Baroque architecture.

The castle was built for the duc de Chevreuse between 1676 and 1683 and features a formal garden designed by André Le Nôtre who included an elegant water feature. The Château itself boasts lavish staterooms and interiors.

The interiors of the castle have been altered over time. The most notable alteration came with the refurbishing of the grande gallerie so that archaeologist and collector, Honoré Théodore Paul Joseph d'Albert, duc de Luynes, might better showcase his magnificent collection of artifacts. For this purpose, Hellenistic-style friezes and bas reliefs wee added by sculptor Pierre-Charles Simart and a fresco entitled “The Golden Age” is the only remaining evidence of an attempt to adorn the gallery in frescoes by the celebrated painter Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres.

The Château de Dampierre is open to the public for tours. For more information, visit their official Web site, but be forewarned that it’s in French, as one might expect. 

The Home Beautiful: The Rosewater Basin, 1650

The Rosewater basin
Andreas Wickert I, 1650
Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection
Image Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Goldsmith Andreas Wickert I (1600-1661) created this silver gilt basin around 1650. The Augsburg silver-gilt dish displays a lightly-lobed, oval form which is applied with four cast cherubs. The whole of the basin is embossed and chased with scenes of the Flood (complete with drowning people and happy dolphins) and Noah and his kin boarding the Ark.

The surrounding cartouches show scenes of birds and animals, largely exotic, which represent the continents of Europe, Asia and Africa, since in the Seventeenth Century, those were the continents with which a German goldsmith felt the most certain. The reverse is engraved with the badge of the Prince of Wales--that, as you'll see, was a later addition.

So…using Chandler Bing voice…could this BE any more Baroque? Volutes and birds and butterflies and foliage and water and drowning and bugs and…everything!

Well, then…who do we know who really dug the Baroque silver? Our opulent, debauched buddy King George IV (The Prince Regent, etc.). He pioneered a renewed taste for Sixteenth and Seventeenth Century silver, and, this little number was one of the first such pieces that he bought. He purchased the piece in 1817 together with a companion ewer which he wrote in his journal as being, “ a chased silver Ewer supported by a Satyr with Butterfly at top.” Curiously, the Carlton House (King George IV’s London residence, now gone) inventory of 1825 lists only the basin, but does not mention the ewer. So, who knows where that ended up over a period of eight years.

Georgie purchased the pieces through Rundells—the court jeweler at the time--for £222 18s 0d.

Obviously, with the ewer, the basin would have been used for the washing of fingers at the dining table. The water would have been poured over rose petals. Now…who else do we know who would have really liked this thing? Queen Mary, of course! The consort of King George V—who no doubt tore apart Windsor Castle looking for that ewer—favored this basin and commissioned a set of silver figures to support it.

Unfolding Pictures: The Venus Interceding with Jupiter Fan, 1730-1769

Venus Interceding with Jupiter Fan
French, 1730-1769
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Many Eighteenth Century fans were inspired by stories from Classical mythology. Here’s a great example. Known as the “Venus Interceding with Jupiter” Fan, it was made in France between 1730 and 1769. The leaf of the fan shows the high standards for fan-painting as well as serves as an excellent example of French Baroque painting. The hallmarks of Baroque painting—theatricality, intense and brilliant colors and unnaturally exaggerated lighting—are all clearly evident in this delicately painted scene. A Chinoiserie scene—also fashionable at the time—graces the reverse of the fan. 

The fan’s sticks and guards, also, are indicative or Baroque style with their intricate carving and piercing, painted cartouches and inlays of mother-of-pearl. 

Click images for larger pictures

The Home Beautiful: The William Kent Shell Mirror, 1735-40

Mirror
Possibly by William Kent and John Boson
1735-1740
The Victoria & Albert Museum

With its symmetrical decoration, this mirror is an ideal example of the Baroque style that flourished in Italy in the late Seventeenth Century.  This updated, Eighteenth Century take on the Baroque mirror features an inner molding of a regular egg and leaf pattern and a double shell cresting.  This architectural piece clearly suggests the involvement of the celebrated William Kent who was known for his use of a double shell crest.

William Kent was extremely prolific in a variety of areas. For example, he designed a barge for Frederick, Prince of Wales (George II's eldest son, who died in 1751). The double shell cresting of this mirror is similar to the stern of the Prince's barge. Both this crest and the crest of the Prince’s barge also featured his symbol of the Three Feathers--the traditional badge of the Prince of Wales.

John Boson, who carried out the carving on the barge, may also have been responsible for carving this mirror.  Boson worked with Kent on many projects including carrying out Kent's designs at Chiswick House, London, for Richard Boyle, 3rd Earl of Burlington, and at Kew Palace, Surrey, for the Prince of Wales.

The oval mirror frame, dating to circa 1735, is crafted of carved and gilt pine.  The frame is surmounted by a bearded head adorned by three ostrich feathers encircled by the coronet of the Prince of Wales with conventional shells behind. The whole of the frame is further adorned with acanthus foliage, rococo ornament and festoons.

Building of the Week: Château de Dampierre

French Baroque architecture reached a critical apex with the designs of architect Jules Hardouin Mansart. Mansart, one of the most notable architects of the Seventeenth Century, became closely associated with the grandeur and opulence which rose in prominence during the reign of Louis XIV. One of the hallmarks of Mansart’s designs was his use of the roofline which we now refer to as “Mansard”—named for the architect’s great-uncle, François Mansart. Also alled a “French Roof,” the Mansard roof is a four-sided hip roof in a gambrel style which is characterized by two slopes on each of its sides. The lower slope slants at a steeper angle than the upper and the whole of it is interrupted by dormer windows which afford additional useable space.

An excellent example of the Mansard roof can be found at the Château de Dampierre in Dampierre-en-Yvelines, in the Vallée de Chevreuse, France. The Château, designed by Mansart, stands proudly behind ornate wrought iron gates. With its Mansard roof, balustrades, archways and heavy ornamentation, it is the height of French Baroque architecture.

The castle was built for the duc de Chevreuse between 1676 and 1683 and features a formal garden designed by André Le Nôtre who included an elegant water feature. The Château itself boasts lavish staterooms and interiors.

The interiors of the castle have been altered over time. The most notable alteration came with the refurbishing of the grande gallerie so that archaeologist and collector, Honoré Théodore Paul Joseph d'Albert, duc de Luynes, might better showcase his magnificent collection of artifacts. For this purpose, Hellenistic-style friezes and bas reliefs wee added by sculptor Pierre-Charles Simart and a fresco entitled “The Golden Age” is the only remaining evidence of an attempt to adorn the gallery in frescoes by the celebrated painter Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres.

The Château de Dampierre is open to the public for tours. For more information, visit their official Web site, but be forewarned that it’s in French, as one might expect.

Masterpiece of the Week: The Libyan Sybil, 1651

The Libyan Sybil
Guercino, 1651
The Royal Collection

King George III was one of the most prolific art collectors of the Royal Family. Later, Queen Victoria would add to his collection as well as continue to purchase paintings by Baroque Italian painters.


This work by the Italian Painter Guercino (known as “The Squinter” for the way in which he studied his compositions through clenched eyes) was painted in 1651 for Ippolito Cattani of Bologna from whose estate King George later purchased the piece. It depicts the Libyan Sybil—the woman who prophesied the coming of the Messiah to the Gentiles. Guercino was known for his paintings of the twelve sybils. This Sybil was painted later in his life. By this point in his career, he had cast aside his usual Baroque tendencies of heavy chiaroscuro and instead, shown us a figure painted in half-shadow in regal, rich colors. The artist has also broken tradition by identifying the Sybil by a simple inscription in the book she’s reading as opposed to her usual artistic attribute of a lighted lamp.

For many centuries, the more Pagan symbol of the Sybil was used as a stand-in for Old Testament prophets. This device of communication was often employed in Italian art by Renaissance and Baroque artists. George III was fascinated by this sort of metaphor and eagerly added such paintings to his collection.

Painting of the Week: Salome with the Head of John The Baptist, 1665-1670

Salome with the Head of John the Baptist
1665-1670
Carlo Dolci
The Royal Collection

I have a particular fondness, as I’ve mentioned before, for paintings of John the Baptist’s decapitated head. I’m not quite sure why. I think it’s because deep down, I have Baroque tendencies. After all, no one offered up better paintings of John on a platter than the Baroque Italian artists.

Take this stunning work by Carlo Dolci for example. This painting, executed between 1665 and 1670, was actually Dolci’s second version of the subject. The first, last seen in 1870, has since been lost, or, at the very least is unaccounted for. Dolci excelled at depicting religious scenes. His attention to detail, the clarity of his hand and his impeccable sense of composition and color brought Biblical figures to life. Here, Salome—resplendent in a bejeweled, blue silk gown—is painted so sensitively that her expression seems to change as we view the piece. She seems, at first smug, and, then contrite. On a second glance, she even looks a little fearful. Of course, John’s head is given special treatment with a shining halo that rather cruelly mimics the arc of his dead eyes and slightly-parted lips. This is Italian Baroque painting at its finest.

The artist, Carlo Dolci, was introduced to Sir John Finch in Florence in 1665. Finch admired Dolci’s work immensely and the two struck up a friendship. Finch commissioned several religious scenes for his own private collection and made a gift of this painting of Salome to King Charles II. And, so, the painting remains today in the Royal Collection. This is a fascinating work. Somehow Dolci has taken a gruesome scene and made it into something quite sweet.

Masterpiece of the Week: Judith Slaying Holofernes by Artemisia Gentileschi, 1620

Judith Slaying Holofernes
Artemisia Gentileschi, 1620
Uffizi Gallery

The Biblical figure of Judith has often been used to represent Judaism itself. A Jewish widow, Judith was a noblewoman in the town of Bethulia which was under siege by an Assyrian army led by a tyrant called Holofernes. One night, Judith enchanted Holofernes with her great beauty as she and her maid, Abra, got the man intoxicated with wine. When Holofernes, passed out, Judith seized the opportunity to murder him so that she could protect her people. With Abra’s help, Judith used a sword to decapitate Holofernes—bringing his head as a trophy to Bethulia. Her people, so encouraged by the display, battled the Assyrians and won.


The story of Judith was a favorite of Artemisia Gentileschi who painted the subject twice. She was intrigued by the idea of a powerful woman. The first version, painted in Naples, is an excellent painting. However, her 1620 version, painted in Florence, is a superior work. Artemisia portrayed Judith in her trademark Artemisia gold—a symbol of strength. The strength of the women seems to reflect Artemisia’s personal fortitude.

Indicative of her quest for realism, Judith shows the veins and muscles of the dying man as he struggles—his legs tangled in his blood-red bed clothes—against the sword at his throat. Blood spurts from his wound onto the two women. Judith’s determination is readily apparent in her face and the tension in her arms as she wields the heavy sword is palpable.

This work is indicative of the power of Artemisia’s painting. Seeing this scene makes her historic induction as the first woman in the Academia seem very fitting indeed. Her talent knew no gender.