A David and Goliath painting, once believed to be the work of a Roman painter before it fell into oblivion, was finally reattributed to Artemisia Gentileschi after a restoration carried out by Simon Gillespie. Authenticated as one of three versions of the subject by the artist, the work resurfaced on the market in 2018, during an auction held at Hampel Fine Art in Munich.
The attribution of the canvas is an epic tale. The painting first sold at Sotheby's in 1975 as a painting by Giovanni Francesco Guerrieri, a pupil of Orazio Gentileschi, then was reassigned to Gentileschi by the Italian academic Gianni Papi in 1996, following a stylistic analysis of a black-and-white photograph. Three years later, Baroque art expert R. Ward Bissell changed the attribution to a "Roman master" in his work Artemisia Gentileschi and the Authority of Art.
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It was only in 2018, during the Munich auction, that the experts looked into it case again, modifying the catalogue at the last minute to reattribute the canvas to Gentileschi after having learned about Papi's research. The work was bought for €104,000 by a British collector, who then called on Simon Gillespie to restore it.
When, during the restoration, the signature “Artemisia 16-” appeared on David's sword under several layers of varnish and dirt, there was no longer any doubt. The painting revealed deep tones, a remarkable chiaroscuro, Caravaggio-esque techniques and elements characteristic of Gentileschi's work. As Gianni Papi said, David's face "projects the pride and gentle virility found in many heroines of Gentileschi. It also recalls the protagonists of the artist's mature works, in particular the different versions of Bathsheba."
With more tranquility (and less blood) than some of her other paintings, the story of David and Goliath was one of Gentileschi's favourite Biblical subjects. The oil on canvas is dated to the end of the 1630s and is said to have been produced during the painter's London stay, when she joined her father Orazio there, who was working for the court of King Charles I. According to Papi's writings, it is possible that the work belonged to the king.
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Simon Gillespie praised Papi's efforts for having recognised “a major work of Artemisia Gentileschi from an old black and white photo and for having put his reputation at stake based on his own instinct." As for the owner of the work, "he got a very good deal", since the artist's prices have risen since, reaching US$6.1 million (£4.97 mil) last November at Artcurial (a record for the artist).
According to Artnet, the owner has been collecting masterpieces for three years, with a preference for works of the 17th century and says he is delighted with this final attribution. He hopes to find "an appropriate museum" to exhibit the work in the long term. “It would be great if a good public collection expressed an interest in exhibiting it, even if we would like to have it at home for a while," he said.
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A large retrospective of the Baroque painter was scheduled to open at the National Gallery in London, but has been postponed indefinitely due to COVID-19. If the painting was not part of the exhibition, Gillespie had nevertheless planned to present it by appointment in parallel with the exhibit. The work was revealed to the public during a reception at the end of March, before restrictions were put in place.
