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How to Read Paintings: Portia Wounding Her Thigh by Elisabetta Sirani
An act of female strength or subordination?
A painting like this begs so many questions. It depicts a woman wielding a knife. Directly beneath the angle of the blade, her thigh is bloody with stab wounds. These are self-inflicted lacerations: you only need to look at her posture and face to realise that the injuries are intentional and calculated.
Given her ornate robe, golden sash and regal-looking blue boot, it is safe to assume she is a woman of power and standing — providing all the more reason to be surprised at her calmly enacted self-affliction.
This engrossing painting was made by Elisabetta Sirani, a pioneering female artist of the Italian Baroque period. She was a remarkable figure: by the age of 19 she was already an independent artist. Then when her father — who was also an artist — became immobilised by gout, she took over the running of his workshop and supported her entire family through her art.
Yet, Sirani died in unknown circumstances at the age of just 27 — only a year after this painting was made. It has become one of her best-known works. But what is the story being told here?
