Orazio Gentileschi at the Court of Charles I

Orazio Gentileschi (1563-1639) was one the most internationally successful painters of the 17th century. In 1626 he travelled to London to enter the service of Charles I, a remarkable collector and patron who was keen to adorn his court with distinguished artists. This book, focusing on the years he spent working for the English Court, contains research and a full account of his artistic activities while in England. While Picture Maker to His Majesty , Gentileschi painted some of his grandest and most luminous pictures, including Joseph and Potiphar's Wife , Lot and his Daughters and two versions of the Finding Moses - for Charles I and Philip IV of Spain. Several of these canvases hung in the Queen's House at Greenwich, the beautiful Italianate villa built by Inigo Jones, where Gentileschi also painted a sumptuous ceiling showing An Allegory of Peace and the Arts . Here, three essays explore the achievements of Gentileschi's English years. Gabriele Finaldi discusses the artist's work for the King and Queen; Aidan Weston-Lewis examines his two versions of The Finding of Moses ; and Ana Sanchez-Lassa de los Santos discusses technical aspects of Gentileschi's English paintings.