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Saint Apollonia is a painting attributed to the Italian baroque painter Artemisia Gentileschi executed between 1642 and 1644. It is part of the collection of the Museo Soumaya in Mexico City, Mexico.

Saint Apollonia
Artist	Artemisia Gentileschi
Year	c. 1642–1644
Medium	Oil on canvas
Movement	Baroque
Subject	Saint Apollonia
Dimensions	89 cm × 72 cm (35 in × 28 in)
Location	Museo Soumaya, Mexico City

Description

The painting depicts Saint Apollonia, a martyr who died in Alexandria during an uprising against Christians in A.D. 249.[1] The portrait shows the saint from the waist up, against a dark background, looking up, as if skyward. Her left hand extended upward, while her right hand is carrying a pair of tweezers with a tooth, an iconographic attribute that helps identify her as Apollonia.[2]

The dress of Apollonia is mauve velvet with light blue sleeves that allow to appreciate the draping of the fabric. The sleeves and neck are adorned with pearls. An important aspect is the use of chiaroscuro, a pictorial technique typical of the baroque that helps make the picture more dramatic, in the style of Caravaggio.[3]

The painting is believed to be painted in Naples, after her return from London in 1642, and was paired with picture of Saint Lucy. ^{[citation needed]}

Provenance

The painting was undocumented before it appeared for sale at Sotheby's London in 1980.[4]

References

Sources

• Bissell, R. Ward (1999). Artemisia Gentileschi and the authority of art : critical reading and catalogue raisonné. University Park, Pa.: Pennsylvania State University Press. ISBN 9780271017877.
• Giorgi, Rosa (2003). Saints in Art. Los Angeles: J. Paul Getty Museum. ISBN 9780892367177.

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