Allegory of Inclination
| Allegory of Inclination | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Artist | Artemisia Gentileschi |
| Year | 1615-1616 |
| Medium | Oil on canvas |
| Movement | Baroque |
| Dimensions | 152 cm × 61 cm (60 in × 24 in) |
| Location | Casa Buonarroti, Florence |
Allegory of Inclination is a 1615-1617 oil on canvas painting by Artemisia Gentileschi on the ceiling of the Galleria in the Casa Buonarroti in Florence.[1]
It was commissioned by Michelangelo Buonarroti the Younger (1568–1646) as part of a series of paintings to glorify the life of his great uncle, Michelangelo Buonarroti. The painting depicts a nude female figure representing "Inclination," or inborn creative ability. Seated on a cloud, she holds a mariner's compass and is guided by a star above.[2] The figure's features are similar to those in self-portraits in Gentileschi's oeuvre. The figure's nudity proved to be embarrassing to the commissioner's great-nephew Leonardo di Buonarroto, and he commissioned Baldassarre Franceschini, known as el Volterrano to paint clothes over parts of it in 1684. [citation needed]
References
- ^ Garrard, Mary (1989). Artemisia Gentileschi. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press. pp. 42–44.
- ^ Perry, Gillian (1999). Gender and Art. Yale University Press. p. 76. ISBN 9780300077605.