Self-Portrait as the Allegory of Painting

Artemisia Gentileschi

c. 1638–1639 · Oil on canvas · Royal Collection Trust, London

Size2:3 ratio

Frame

$59Unframed print · made to order

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Complete the setHangs well with these two

This print

Self-Portrait as the Allegory of Painting

Judith and her Maidservant with the Head of Holofernes

Judith Slaying Holofernes

3 × $59 at 16 × 24 in, unframed = $177 → $159.30 as a set · 10% included · free shipping

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Giclée-printed to order on heavyweight matte fine-art paper

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About this work

Artist: Artemisia Gentileschi (1593–1656)
Year: c. 1638–1639
Medium: Oil on canvas
Original size: 98.6 × 75.2 cm
Collection: Royal Collection Trust, London
Movement: Baroque

A woman in a green dress leans into her work, brush raised in one hand and palette in the other, her dark hair loose, a gold chain with a mask pendant at her throat. The details follow Cesare Ripa's prescription for the figure of Painting almost to the letter, and because Painting was by convention a woman, Artemisia Gentileschi could do what no male painter could: be the allegory and the artist at once. She painted it in England around 1638 to 1639, where she had gone to join her father Orazio at the court of Charles I, and it was in the king's collection, dispersed after his execution and recovered at the Restoration of 1660. It remains in the Royal Collection, number 405551, and has been shown at Hampton Court. Michael Levey first proposed that the figure is Artemisia herself; not everyone agrees, but the idea has stuck.

This exhibition-poster edition shows the whole work beneath original typography set in-house. The original is in the public domain.

Details & materials

• Exhibition poster — original, drawn in-house • Heavyweight matte fine-art paper, giclée printed at 300 DPI • Sizes: 12×18, 16×24, 24×36 in; 12×18 and 16×24 and 24×36 also available framed in black or natural wood • Made to order; colours may vary slightly from screen

Shipping & returns

Produced in 2–4 business days, then shipped from the facility nearest you. Delivery is typically 3–6 business days (US/UK/EU) and 5–12 worldwide. Because each print is made to order we don't take change-of-mind returns, but if it arrives damaged or flawed we'll reprint or refund it — no return needed. Full policy →

Is this the whole painting, or a crop?

The whole work, uncropped. The exhibition-poster edition sets the complete image above typography designed in-house.

Is Self-Portrait as the Allegory of Painting (La Pittura) in the public domain?

Yes. Artemisia Gentileschi (1593–1656) died more than 70 years ago and the work was published before 1929, so the painting itself is public domain. This print is a reproduction made from a high-resolution scan of the original, which is held by Royal Collection Trust.

What is it printed on?

Heavyweight matte fine-art paper with pigment inks, made to order in 12×18, 16×24 and 24×36 inches; the two larger sizes are also offered framed. Colours are matched to the scan, not brightened.

When was Self-Portrait as the Allegory of Painting (La Pittura) painted, and in what medium?

Self-Portrait as the Allegory of Painting (La Pittura) dates from c. 1638–1639 and was made in oil on canvas; the original measures 98.6 × 75.2 cm.

What size works above a sofa or bed?

For a standard three-seat sofa or a queen bed, 24×36 inches reads as a single statement piece; 16×24 suits a narrower wall or a pairing. The print's proportions follow the original, so a landscape-format painting is wider than it is tall.

About this design

A museum-exhibition poster of Artemisia Gentileschi's Self-Portrait as the Allegory of Painting — Artemisia as Painting herself — brush raised, chain and mask at her throat, leaning into the canvas — shown whole and uncropped beneath gallery typography. The Italian Baroque, styled as a blockbuster exhibition print. A gallery-style exhibition poster: a celebrated public-domain artwork shown whole and uncropped beneath original exhibition typography set in-house — printed to order on heavyweight matte fine-art paper. Three sizes (12×18, 16×24, 24×36 in); the 16×24 and 24×36 are also offered framed. Part of the Madten Exhibition Posters Collection. — — — Printed to order and shipped by our production partner, Gelato.

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The Madten promise

Gallery-grade archival giclée. Rich pigment inks on heavyweight fine-art paper (or gallery-wrapped canvas) — built to last, not a poster-shop print.

Arrives perfect or we reprint it — free. Every piece is made to order; if it shows up damaged or flawed we remake it, no return needed.

Free worldwide shipping. Made & shipped from the facility nearest you — most orders arrive in ~4–8 business days.

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