Portrait of Beatrice Cenci 1590 - 1827

Guido Reni painted this oil on canvas portrait, titled ‘Beatrice Cenci’, some time around 1600 in Italy. It is said to depict Beatrice Cenci, who was executed in 1599 for patricide. Looking at the image, it’s clear that Reni was interested in ideas around femininity. Her head covering and demure gaze are a clear reference to depictions of women at the time. Cenci's story had become a celebrated legend, and images of her were increasingly popular as symbols of resistance against tyrannical rule. It is worth noting that Reni made the painting some years after Cenci's death. This complicates our understanding and raises questions about what Reni might have hoped to achieve in the years after her execution. We must therefore consider that this is as much a painting about its own time as it is about the past. Historians can use court documents, legal papers, and popular pamphlets to better understand the changing role of women in the early modern period.