Personification of Sculpture

The Personification of Sculpture, painted in 1636 for Charles I's Royal Collection, completes the quartet of allegorical female figures representing the visual arts that Gentileschi produced for the English court alongside Painting, Architecture, and Music. Sculpture as a female allegory — based on Cesare Ripa's Iconologia description — is shown with a small sculptured figure in her hand and tools for carving or modeling. The subject invited direct comparison with Painting: Sculpture's attribute of a three-dimensional object within a painted two-dimensional surface creates a philosophical observation on the relationship between the arts. Gentileschi's refined treatment of the allegorical figure in his English period is at its most accomplished in these companion works, and the Royal Collection preserves them as a coherent ensemble demonstrating his late style.

Canvas with the sculptural attribute — a small figurine or relief — creating the unusual challenge of representing three-dimensional art within a painted surface. Modeling tools such as a mallet and chisel are rendered as functional instruments. Drapery receives the same sustained treatment as the companion allegories. Gentileschi's cool, even light unifies the figure with her attributes within a coherent spatial environment.