Active in cities around Italy and wider Europe throughout the early 1600s, Artemisia Gentileschi painted portraits for some of the highest echelons of society, including King Charles I and King Philip IV of Spain. Today, Artemisia is celebrated as the most accomplished and recognised female painter of the 17th century.

Join us for this digital event as we celebrate the rediscovery of a masterpiece: Susanna and the Elders by Artemisia Gentileschi. Having been misattributed at least two centuries ago, the painting has recently been rediscovered in the Royal Collection and, having undergone extensive conservation work, is now on display at Windsor Castle. 

In this exciting event, our experts will share how the detective work carried out by conservators and art historians led to the reattribution of this painting to Artemisia Gentileschi. They will also explain the meticulous process of restoring the masterpiece, including the painstaking removal of centuries of surface dirt, discoloured varnish and non-original paint layers, to reveal the original composition. Finally, there will also be time to explore Gentileschi’s life more broadly, considering some of the key moments in her life and how they might have impacted the style and subject matter of her extraordinary portraits.