Artemisia Gentileschi self-portrait painted in Florence sets new auction record

A rare self-portrait by Artemisia Gentileschi, painted in Florence in the early 17th century, has been sold by Christie’s in New York for $5.69 million, setting a new auction record for the artist.

The painting, depicting the artist as Saint Catherine of Alexandria, was sold for more than double its pre-sale estimate of $2.5–3.5 million. The result surpasses Artemisia’s previous auction record, set in 2019 when Lucrezia was sold in Paris for $5.25 million.

The work is one of only five known self-portraits by Artemisia Gentileschi, one of the most significant figures of Italian Seicento painting. According to art historians, it is likely the earliest of the series and was painted during her years in Florence, where she lived and worked between 1613 and 1620.

A Florentine work at the start of Artemisia’s career

Artemisia arrived in Florence as a young woman and developed her career in a city that, at the time, offered opportunities rarely available to female artists. She became the first woman admitted to the Accademia delle Arti del Disegno and worked for prominent patrons, including members of the Medici court.

The newly sold painting portrays a youthful Artemisia in the guise of Saint Catherine, holding the palm of martyrdom and the spiked wheel traditionally associated with the saint. While the religious attributes follow established iconography, the figure’s direct gaze and confident presence strongly emphasise the artist’s self-awareness and professional ambition at an early stage of her career.

International recognition and museum interest

The self-portrait was recently on loan to the Nasjonalmuseet in Oslo and has already been requested for the exhibition Artemisia Gentileschi: The Triumph of Painting, scheduled to open in February 2028 at the Nivaagaard Collection in Denmark.

The record-setting auction reflects the growing international recognition of Artemisia’s work, both by museums and the art market, after centuries of relative neglect compared to her male contemporaries.

That renewed attention has also been confirmed by a recent institutional acquisition in the United States. The National Gallery of Art in Washington has announced the purchase of Mary Magdalene in Ecstasy, painted around 1625. The work will go on public display from late February and is considered one of the most accomplished examples of Artemisia’s artistic maturity, often discussed alongside early 17th-century works by Caravaggio.

Florence at the centre of Artemisia’s legacy

Although Artemisia Gentileschi worked across Italy and later in London, her Florentine years were decisive in shaping her identity as an independent professional artist. The record sale of a self-portrait painted in Florence highlights the city’s central role in her artistic formation and reinforces Florence’s lasting influence on the history of European Baroque painting.

For Florence, the result is also a reminder that some of the most internationally sought-after works of the Italian Seicento were conceived and painted within its walls, at a moment when the city was still a vital laboratory for artistic innovation.

(Cover photo: Artemisia Gentileschi – Self-Portrait as Saint Catherine of Alexandria – © Christie’s)

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