Saint Proculus of Pozzuoli and his mother Santa Nicaea

Artemisia Gentileschi painted Saint Proculus of Pozzuoli and His Mother Santa Nicaea around 1637, a less common hagiographic subject commissioned for the church of San Procolo in Pozzuoli near Naples. The relatively unfamiliar saints gave Artemisia freedom to create figures from her imagination rather than working within a well-established iconographic tradition — Saint Proculus and his mother are simply characterized as noble, composed figures in poses of dignified faith. The Neapolitan period of her career, from 1630 onward, saw her receive numerous major church commissions, and this painting represents her competent handling of conventional religious altarpiece requirements alongside her more distinctive dramatic narrative subjects.

The two saints are rendered with the rich coloring and dramatic lighting of Artemisia's Neapolitan period, the monumental figures displaying the confident technique of her mature religious painting.