This is a fascinating painting with a strange title and painted by a remarkable woman - a successful painter at a time when it was extremely rare for a woman to work in this way. The title and image seems to communicate that painting is a test where you need your sleeves rolled up, you will need to take a difficult pose and place in society and there will be a sense of imbalance and uncertainty in life. This was in an exhibition at the Royal Academy in 2018 entitled Charles 1 : King and Collector . Artemisia Gentileschi was invited to London by the king and almost certainly painted this while she was there for her patron. It is still in the Royal Collection. And we now have a new King Charles ! From RA website : “King Charles I amassed one of the most extraordinary art collections of his age, acquiring works by some of the finest artists of the past – Titian, Mantegna, Holbein, Dürer – and commissioning leading contemporary artists such as Van Dyck and Rubens. Yet, following the king’s execution in 1649, his collection was sold off and scattered across Europe. While many works were retrieved by Charles II during the Restoration, others now form the core of museums such as the Louvre and the Prado.” Another self portrait by this artist has recently been wonderfully restored at the National Gallery in London. The removal of varnish, the discovery of previously cropped areas, the cleaning and mending that has taken place has revealed a powerful image of a strong woman, posing as St Catherine, who is confident in the life and strength of her art.
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