Lucretia emerges from the shadows and grasps a dagger, aiming it at her chest. The beauty of her translucent skin, the pearls in her hair, the luxurious fabrics—all contrast with the horror of what is about to happen. The main source for the story of Lucretia is the History of Rome (Book I, 57 – 59) by ancient Roman historian Titus Livius. The legendary Lucretia was the virtuous wife of the nobleman Lucius Tarquinius Collatinus. After her rape by Sextus Tarquinius, the son of the King of Rome, she called on her father and her husband for vengeance and then, while proclaiming her innocence, stabbed herself to death. Anger and grief over Lucretia’s death led to a rebellion that brought down the corrupted monarchy and made her a martyr for freedom. Lucretia became an enduring symbol of female strength, and her story likely had personal resonance for the artist: like Lucretia, Artemisia Gentileschi had experienced sexual violence as a young woman.
Artemisia often depicted donne forti (strong women) in her work, in this way shaping her artistic persona as an independent and successful painter in a world dominated by men. She approached her subjects with great empathy and translated their experiences into emotionally complex paintings. Artemisia painted Lucretia at least four times during her career, and in all but one of the surviving examples she portrayed the isolated figure of Lucretia in the moment just before she plunges the dagger on her breast. Three poems written in Venice in 1627 celebrated a painting of Lucretia by the hand of Artemisia. The author has not been identified with certainty, but he was likely Giovan Francesco Loredan, who was part of a close-knit group of writers, artists, musicians, and patrons who were associated with Artemisia during her Venetian sojourn (1626/27 – 1630). Artemisia’s portrayal of the elegant and sophisticated heroine hint at a profound engagement with the artistic legacy of sixteenth-century Venetian art, therefore leading to an identification of our painting with the work praised in the aforementioned poems.
We make each of our prints one at a time—just for you.
Our Giclée Prints are printed here in Switzerland, one at a time, on heavy matte German art paper using the finest 12-color Canon archival inks. Some images are panoramic or tall and narrow—please select the 18" x 36" format for these.
Our Premium Museum Frame in Black is custom-made in Lugano, Switzerland, using natural wood moulding in a matte black satin finish. Each includes thick, hand-cut white mat boards and Plexiglass glazing. We tailor and print each image to fit its specific ratio and dimensions within our custom-made frames. The hand-cut mats are extra thick. Each bespoke museum frame ships in a custom box. Rush shipping is available for projects with tight deadlines—this is our specialty, and you will not be disappointed.
Our Antiqued Museum Frame in Gold is a high-quality frame made of solid wood, featuring traditional 19th-century cast plaster moulded details and closed corners. These frames are works of art in themselves, each with a unique patina. The hand-rubbed corners and gold finish evoke the elegance of times past. Your selected image is printed on German art paper with archival inks and mounted to quality art board within the frame. Plexiglass is added for print protection and the back is covered with Kraft paper and a hanger is supplied ready to hang.
Our Stretched Canvas prints are hand-stretched over 1.25" thick pine bars and printed with archival inks on a cotton-poly matte finish canvas. These are best-in-industry Swiss-quality canvases, hand-coated for UV protection.
Wall Murals are printed on a matte-finish, self-adhesive poly/fabric material that mounts easily and is ideal for smooth wall surfaces.
Our Note Cards are amazing—each is printed individually on 100% cotton art paper, comes with a kraft envelope, and is individually sleeved. (Image is scaled to fit the format.)
All of our images are digitized from the original negative or print and printed by our master printer to museum standards.
Questions? Please email service@archivea.com or call/text +41 79 265 8891.
Artwork in this collection is from The J. Paul Getty Museum. Reproduction rights are reserved by the copyright owner and used under license by Archivea GmbH.
