[Unkown] 

This is an oil on canvas painting by Orazio Gentileschi, an Italian artist from the late 16th and early 17th century. Oil paint is a very pliable and forgiving medium, lending itself to a high degree of naturalism. Consider the time and labor involved in the making of this painting. First, canvas had to be woven, sized, and stretched. Pigments had to be prepared by grinding and mixing with oil. Brushes had to be made from animal hair. All of this skilled work was done by hand. Oil paintings like this were commissioned by wealthy patrons, who could afford to pay for the artist's time, as well as the cost of materials. The finished artwork was intended to show that wealth, taste, and piety. The artist's technical mastery is visible in the details: the subtle gradations of light, the texture of the fabric, and the rendering of human flesh. But it is important to remember the larger social and economic context in which the artwork was produced. Without understanding these aspects, we can only appreciate half of its meaning.