Art History Series: Portia Wounding Her Thigh (1664) by Elisabetta Sirani

Portia Wounding Her Thigh (1664) by Elisabetta Sirani

Sirani herself has a very interesting history as an artist, but now I will mention only the things about her that are relevant to this painting. We see Portia Catonis - the wife of Marcus Junius Brutus and daughter of the Roman senator Cato at the age of 26, the same age as Sirani when she created it. Sirani faced much opposition as one of the first female artists, inheriting and growing her artist father's school and studio around the age of 19. The plot is inspired by Plutarch's work - "Parallel Lives", where it is told how Portia senses that her husband is planning something suspicious, but when she decides to ask him, he refuses to share because he is afraid that she will reveal the plan for the assassination of Julius Caesar if subjected to torture.

In response, she frees the staff from her room and stabs her thigh multiple times with a barber's knife, endures a full day of fever and pain without anyone noticing, and uses this feat to prove to Brutus that she can keep a secret even under these circumstances.

In the picture Portia Wounding Her Thigh (1664) we can see the following things: Portia, who is looking intently, but also calmly against the background of the already existing gashes. In her left hand she holds the box from which the knife was taken, and in the background we see four women threading silk, seemingly unaware of what is happening in Portia's room. This only increases the psychic distance between Portia's pursuit of great deeds and courage in contrast to the mundane everyday life.

Elisabetta Sirani, unlike many other artists who paint Portia before her suicide, chooses to present her in a moment of strength, as she provides alone for her entire family with her art, removed from the life that other people lead. Although it is often said that this painting serves as a self-portrait because of the parallels between the two women, Sirani does not forget to show her craftsmanship by respecting the wishes of the patron who commissioned it. That is the fabric merchant Simone Tassi of Bologna, which is why Portia is dressed in lavish 17th-century clothes, not ancient robes. The fabric is richly embroidered and brightly colored, the red emphasizing Portia's will and contrasting strongly with the dark strokes of the background. This painting won me over with its multitude of small details, the masterful use of light in the painting that gently guides the eye across Portia's face and legs. Painted with bold and expressive strokes and measuring 101x138cm, this oil painting has won the hearts of viewers to this day, I hope it managed to win you, too.

Regards, Julia

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