Authorities in Italy have banned a Vienna auction house from selling a painting by 17th-century artist Artemisia Gentileschi.
The carabinieri unit that oversees crimes related to cultural property alleges that two sellers, who have not been identified, fraudulently classified the work as painted by an anonymous Gentileschi follower.
titled Caritas Romanathe scene is from the 1st-century Roman historian Valerio Massimo’s story about a woman named Peru who secretly nurses her imprisoned father, Simon, who is dying of starvation.
The move to conceal the true attribution of the work, which authorities believe was drawn by the now-declared old lady, allowed the merchants to obtain an export license from the Italian Ministry of Culture to operate.
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Gentileschi is best known for being an artist working in a male-dominated field. The daughter of the painter Orazio Gentileschi, she established her career as an artist at the age of 20 and became known for a style influenced by Caravaggio. Amidst her rise, at age 18, she survived sexual abuse by her teacher and a very public trial in Rome.
Many of her paintings depict themes from biblical and mythological episodes. Gentileschi often emphasizes the plight of women in all of her scenes, making them carry weapons or act in defense against male opponents.
The painting was exported to Austria in 2019. Italian police launched an investigation into an attempt to sell the painting in 2020. Authorities say the artwork is valued at around 2 million euros ($2 million), and was originally commissioned by an Italian mid-century nobleman. XVII and was kept in a castle in the Italian province of Bari.
The Gentileschi market has been on the rise amid a renewed academic interest in the long-overlooked artist. The estimated value of the current painting makes it one of the most valuable paintings attributed to it. Its current auction record is $5.3 million paid for the undated painting Lucretia in 2019.
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