Artemisia Gentileschi's Headless Mary Magdalene to Auction at Dorotheum with €100K-150K Estimate
On April 28, 2026, Dorotheum will hold an auction in Vienna showcasing an altered painting of Mary Magdalene by Artemisia Gentileschi, which is missing its head and shoulders. This oil artwork, dated approximately 1615-1618, is an autograph version of a piece housed at Palazzo Pitti. It carries an estimated value of €100,000-150,000 and was rediscovered in a German collection in 2011. The attribution has been confirmed by art historians Roberto Contini and Riccardo Lattuada. Additional highlights include "Santa Francesca Romana" by Giuseppe Maria Crespi from 1735, biblical scenes by Franz Sigrist, and "Ercole che doma il toro cretese" by Antiveduto Gramatica. Dorotheum's Classic Week will follow on April 29, 2026, featuring 19th and early 20th-century art, including works by Eugen von Blaas and Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller.
Key facts
- Artemisia Gentileschi's Mary Magdalene painting (c. 1615-1618) will be auctioned at Dorotheum in Vienna on April 28, 2026
- The painting is missing its head and shoulders, with estimates of €100,000-150,000
- Art historians Roberto Contini and Riccardo Lattuada confirmed the attribution
- The work was rediscovered in 2011 in a German collection
- Dorotheum suggests damage may have occurred during post-war Berlin upheavals
- The auction includes Giuseppe Maria Crespi's 1735 copper painting commissioned in Florence
- Franz Sigrist's biblical scenes were recently restituted to heirs of Brüder Lion
- Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller's 1854 painting "The Sewing Mother with Children" has a €300,000-350,000 estimate
Entities
Artists
- Artemisia Gentileschi
- Roberto Contini
- Francesco Solinas
- Riccardo Lattuada
- Giuseppe Maria Crespi
- Franz Sigrist
- Antiveduto Gramatica
- Eugen von Blaas
- Friedrich Christian Nerly
- Rudolf von Alt
- Karl Russ
- Friedrich von Amerling
- Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller
- Marc MacDowell
- Cristina Masturzo
Institutions
- Dorotheum
- Palazzo Pitti
- Palazzo Reale
- J. Paul Getty Museum
- Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlung
- Brüder Lion
- Christie's
- Artribune
Locations
- Vienna
- Austria
- Florence
- Italy
- Milan
- Berlin
- Germany
- Munich