Jael and Sisera

Jael and Sisera is a painting Artemisia Gentileschi executed around 1620, while she was working in Florence. The subject comes from the Book of Judges: after his defeat, Sisera, a Canaanite general, takes refuge in the tent of Jael, a Kenite woman who offers to protect him. As he sleeps, she drives a tent peg through his temple, an act the biblical text praises for its courage. The scene was rarely painted, and Gentileschi approaches it differently from other artists, keeping the two figures visually apart rather than linking them in a compact group. Jael's golden gown contrasts with the reds and blues of Sisera's clothing, a colour usually read as a sign of virtue and approaching victory. The most striking feature is the signature, carved on a pillar in the background beside Jael's hand, together with the date. Gentileschi signed as "Artemisia Lomi", using the surname of her uncle, already established in Florence, to strengthen her ties with potential patrons. The Latin inscription, with its imperfect verb, is also among the earliest examples of this habit, revealing the pride with which she presented her work.

Painter

Artemisia Gentileschi

Date

1620

Medium

oil paint, canvas

Dimensions

93 × 128 cm

Museum

Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest, Budapest district XIV

Genre

religious art

Depicts

woman, Judges, man, Yael, Sisera

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