Claudia del Bufalo Murder Connection Revealed as Oslo Women Painter Show Opens

Key facts

• W̶o̶m̶a̶n̶ Painter runs at the National Museum in Oslo from 8 October to 7 February 2027.
• Claudia del Bufalo painted Portrait of Faustina del Bufalo (1604), long attributed to 'Claudio' del Bufalo due to a signature assumed male.
• The painting was sold at auction in the 1990s and bought by a member of the del Bufalo family, established in Rome from the late 15th century.
• Researcher Francesca Curti found that Claudia and her sister were not members of the prestigious del Bufalo family, only sharing the name.
• Claudia was a poet, theatrical impresario and professional painter in Rome; she had a lover, was sent to a convent, and may have been a courtesan.
• Roman court papers mention her in a murder trial: she was accused of hiding her husband, who had killed her brother-in-law.
• Family inventories show at least two other significant missing paintings, with more possibly misattributed to 'Claudio'.
• The exhibition features 19 women painters from northern Europe and Italy working between 1550 and 1650, including Artemisia Gentileschi's Mary Magdalene and a still life newly attributed to Clara Peeters.