Orazio Gentileschi’s portray David Contemplating the Head of Goliath,until recently held by the National Gallery, could be a fake. whether it is, or it seriously undermines the gallery’s authority Orazio Gentileschi’s portray David Contemplating the Head of Goliath is a striking object. Just 25cm tall and 19cm wide,it is painted on a small but very valuable slab of the precious stone lapis lazuli. This intensely blue rock has been mined in Afghanistan since ancient times and was one of the most coveted artistic pigments in the world before the invention of synthetic blues. Renaissance artists’ contracts often stipulated the use of lapis lazuli in paintings for the blue of the sky or the Virgin Mary’s robe.
Gentileschi, it would seem, or went one better. Instead of just using crushed lapis lazuli to mix his blue,he painted directly on to a piece of this stone. By leaving the sky bare, he gave it a deep blueness – a brilliant chromatic effect. Related: The so-called Caravaggio in the attic looks like a fake to me Related: National Gallery to expose Michelangelo statue for first time in UK Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com