In recent times significant additions have been made to the collection, namely Artemisia Gentileschi’s Self Portrait as Saint Catherine of Alexandria (about 1615–17) in 2018 and, in January 2020, the imposing canvas of The Finding of Moses (early 1630s) by her father Orazio Gentileschi. The breadth and quality of the Italian Baroque collection were greatly enhanced in 2013 by the bequest of 25 paintings from the collection of the distinguished art historian Sir Denis Mahon (1910–2011), which were presented to the National Gallery through Art Fund. Powerfully naturalistic paintings by the revolutionary artist Caravaggio – Boy bitten by a Lizard (about 1594–5), The Supper at Emmaus (1601) and Salome receives the Head of John the Baptist (1609–10) – hang alongside more classicising works by Guido Reni and Guercino, amongst others. One notable exception is Guido Reni’s vast altarpiece, The Adoration of the Shepherds (about 1640), which hangs as the room’s focal point in the centre. Many of the paintings in the room were commissioned to adorn the palaces of wealthy patrons in Rome, Florence, Bologna, Naples and Genoa. Their dynamic compositions, dramatic lighting, vivid use of colour and intense expression of emotion are all characteristics of the Baroque. The paintings that form part of the Italian Baroque collection have been reinstated to great effect. As well as reinstating the dark red cloth to the walls, the ornate painted frieze has been put back and the plaster decoration tip-gilded with 23.5 carat gold leaf. One exception is the lunette dedicated to Titian, above the south doorway, which was uncovered completely and restored. The decision was taken to faithfully reconstruct these lunettes: their designs were traced, cut out and painted with colours matching the original pigments. At the centre of each of the 20 lunettes, the name of an artist was revealed: these are mostly Italian, though van Eyck, Holbein, Rubens and Rembrandt are also included. In 2017–18, a specialist conservator took approximately two hundred paint samples from the upper architectural elements, revealing the complex palette of Barry’s original decorative scheme beneath the white overpaint. The dark red wall cloth, ornate painted frieze and lunettes, whose designs alternate winged lions with dolphins, have all been reinstated according to the original colour scheme. The purpose of this major renovation programme, made possible through the generous support of Julia and Hans Rausing, was to reinstate the original decorative scheme of its architect, Edward M Barry (1830–1880), as seen in Giuseppe Gabrielli's painting of 1886 (on loan from the Government Art Collection).

Artemisia by Letizia Treves