Gentileschi's woman without clothes - 27th January 2023

Experts are cleaning and repairing a very special painting. It's a work by Artemisia Gentileschi, a female artist in the 17th century.

'Allegory of Inclination' was painted in 1616 in Florence. It was for a large villa, which once belonged to the famous artist Michelangelo. His great-nephew paid Gentileschi to create it.

At just 22, Gentileschi produced the piece. It's thought to be a picture of herself. The original female in the painting was naked. But 60 years later, the woman's naked body was covered. A different artist painted on a thin blue scarf.

It's difficult to remove the scarf but X-rays can show what's underneath.

Elizabeth Wicks is one of the specialists.

Elizabeth Wicks: "As we say in Italian "è stato rivoltato come un guanto", it's been turned inside out like a glove with all of the diagnostic techniques possible to understand how the painting was conceived, how it was painted, what happened to it afterwards and to see if we can read beneath the veils of censorship that were added to the painting."

In the 1600s, women artists were rare, but the quality of Gentileschi's work was well-known. She was able to charge higher prices than male painters.

Linda Falcone's the head of the project.

Linda Falcone: "The idea is to create a conversation around art by women, the fact that they were protagonists in their time. They had to be not only great painters but great diplomats. She had to know how to market herself, and that's what she's actually doing with the painting because not only is she tributing Michelangelo but she's saying, 'I as a woman have the inclination to paint'."

She's hopeful that this project will start a discussion about women and art.