Jael and Sisera is a painting by the Italian baroque artist Artemisia Gentileschi, executed around 1620.


The topic of the canvas is taken from the Book of Judges, verses 4:11-22 and 5:24-31. It depicts the moment in which a Kenite woman Jael is about to kill Sisera, a defeated Canaanite general. After his defeat by the Israelites he flees to a nearby settlement, where Jael takes him in, promises to feed him and hide him from the authorities. The moment he is asleep she drives a tent peg through his temple; an act that earned Jael praise for her courage in the biblical text. This subject is seldom depicted in seventeenth century art, there very few other examples contemporary to this painting. Historians believe that this may be due to the questionable morality of her actions, as compared to other biblical women.


While this story was less frequently portrayed in painting, historians believe that Artemisia's canvas was influenced by the work of Florentine artist Ludovico Cigoli. Her portrayal differs however, in the way that it develops a clear visual separation of the two figures, as opposed to Cigoli's compressed rendering. Jael's golden gown contrasts strongly with Sisera's red and blue garments, which is thought to signal her "virtue and imminent victory."


The date, 1620 can be seen at the bottom of the Artist's prominent signature, carved in to the pillar. The awkward placement of Jael's right hand is thought to have been deliberately designed to highlight the signature. While the date places Artemisia in Rome, she signs this painting, "Artemisia Lomi," suggesting a Florentine patron. While living and working in Florence, Artemisia adopted this surname, which belonged to one of her uncles, rather than the Roman Gentileschi, to strengthen her ties the city among her potential patrons.


Aside from this clue the source of patronage for this painting is unknown. The prominence of the artist's signature indicate that this was a work she felt worthy of praise. The three-line signature reads, "ARETEMITA LOMI/FACIBAT/MDCXX." This is the first example of Artemisia using the imperfect tense of the Latin verb Facibat, perhaps a reference to the way in which Michelangelo signed his Pieta.


This painting was restored in 1978 by Veronika Ember. Prior to restoration the painting had extensive paint loss in the upper left and lower right hand corners. As a result of the restoration the highlights on Sisera skirt were strengthened and some of the shadows are more mechanical in nature than those you would expect to see by Artemisia's hand. The signature remained intact.


The work was first documented in the imperial collection in Vienna in 1781, upon its transfer to Bratislava Castle. Three years later, it was transferred to the Royal Palace in Buda, from where it may have been dispersed in 1856. The work appeared at auction in Budapest in 1974, at which point it was purchased by its current owners. The painting currently hangs in the Szepmuveszeti Museum, Budapest.

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