Mary Magdalene by Artemisia Gentileschi was lost for generations, buried in a private collection in the south of France and only known from a single black and white photograph. It’s assumed to have been painted between 1613 and 1620, when the Artemisia was between 20 and 27 years old. During this time she left her father’s studio after a rushed marriage to Pietro Antonio di Vincenzo Stiattesi, and moved with Pietro to Florence from Rome. Magdalene could be one of her earliest works in her new home.
In 2014, after its rediscovery, it was auctioned by Sotheby’s for € 865.500, ($1,179,832), a new record for Gentileschi paintings. The work has now disappeared into a private collection once again.
