Collezioni Comunali d'Arte - Portrait of a Papal Gonfaloniere

This painting, signed and dated on the back, was created in Rome by Artemisia Gentileschi. It portrays a Pontifical Gonfalonier, an important figure who, like many others, desired a portrait by a successful artist. Gentileschi was renowned for her independence and for taking the painter Agostino Tassi to court on charges of rape. Although Artemisia emerged victorious from the trial in 1612, she was forced to leave Rome due to her compromised reputation. However, she later rehabilitated herself with a brilliant career in various Italian and European courts.