Rediscovered 17th century painting goes on display in Windsor Castle

A rare surviving painting by ‘the greatest female artist of her generation’ is currently on display at Windsor Castle.

The rediscovered painting Susanna and the Elders by Italian Baroque artist Artemisia Gentileschi was covered with layers of dirt and varnish and had been incorrectly attributed to another artist.

Artemisia gained fame in Europe in the 17th century, when few female artists were formally recognised, and is known for her powerful and empathetic depictions of women from history.

Adelaide Izat, paintings conservator, said: “When it came into the studio, Susanna was the most heavily overpainted canvas I had ever seen, its surface almost completely obscured.

It has been incredible to be involved in returning the painting to its rightful place in the Royal Collection, allowing viewers to appreciate Artemisia’s artistry again for the first time in centuries.”

‘Susanna’ is on temporary display in the Queen’s Drawing Room, alongside ‘Self-Portrait as the Allegory of Painting’, considered one of Artemisia’s greatest works, and ‘Joseph and Potiphar’s Wife’ by her father Orazio Gentileschi.

The rediscovered painting sheds light on Artemisia’s time in London in the late 1630s, working alongside her father at the court of King Charles I and Henrietta Maria.

Seven paintings by Artemisia were recorded in Charles I’s inventories but only ‘Self-Portrait’ was thought to survive today and the others lost.

Royal Collection Trust curators traced the paintings sold off and scattered across Europe after Charles I’s execution, and matched the description of ‘Susanna’ to a painting attributed to ‘French School’ stored in Hampton Court Palace.

The rediscovered painting depicts the Biblical story of Susanna, who refuses the advances of two men while bathing in her garden and is faced with a false accusation, punishable by death, before she is proven innocent.

It is a story Artemisia repeatedly returned to in at least six works, and may have resonated after her own experience of sexual assault at 17.

Deputy surveyor of the King’s pictures Anna Reynolds said: ‘We are so excited to announce the rediscovery of this important work. Artemisia was a strong, dynamic and exceptionally talented artist whose female subjects – including Susanna – look at you from their canvases with the same determination to make their voices heard Artemisia showed in the male-dominated art world of the 17th century.”

As Artemisia’s reputation waned in the 18th century, the painting lost its attribution but a ‘CR’ (‘Carolus Rex’) brand found on the back of the canvas during conservation treatment confirmed the painting was once in Charles I’s collection.

The special display of works by Artemisia and Orazio Gentileschi is open until April 29 2024.