Restoration Reveals New Artemisia Gentileschi Painting in London

A painting long attributed to Francesco Guerrieri has been reattributed to Artemisia Gentileschi after restoration uncovered her signature. The work, 'David and Goliath,' first appeared at a Sotheby's auction in 1975. Doubts about its authorship arose in 1996 when connoisseur Gianni Papi received a reproduction and began investigating. The current anonymous owner purchased the painting in 2018 at a Hampel Fine Art auction in Munich and asked Papi to study it. Restoration by Simon Gillespie revealed Gentileschi's signature on David's sword. The painting dates to around 1639, during Gentileschi's London period when she joined her father Orazio at court. Papi suggests it may have been in King Charles I's collection. The discovery coincides with a major Gentileschi retrospective at the National Gallery (April 4–July 26, 2020), though the newly attributed work will not be included. The owner expressed willingness to lend it to an appropriate museum.