The Dorotheum auction house in Vienna is set to auction a rare, autograph replica of Artemisia Gentileschi’s 'St. Mary Magdalen' (c. 1620) that is missing its central focus: the saint's face. Discovered in a private German cellar in 2011 and likely mutilated during the looting of postwar Berlin, the fragment has been authenticated by experts Roberto Contini and Riccardo Lattuada. Despite the missing section, infrared analysis confirms Gentileschi’s hand, and the work is estimated to fetch between $120,000 and $170,000.
This sale highlights the enduring market strength and scholarly fascination with Gentileschi, whose personal history of trauma often colors the interpretation of her pained subjects. The auction house suggests that the physical violation of the canvas adds a haunting, contemporary layer to the Baroque masterpiece, following a trend where fragments of her work have significantly outperformed financial expectations at auction.