GENTILESCHI, Artemisia
(b. 1593, Roma, d. ca. 1653, Napoli)

Clio, the Muse of History

1632
Oil on canvas, 128 x 97 cm
Cassa di Risparmio di Pisa, Pisa

The book on the table contains an inscription that bears Artemisia's signature and the date 1632, along with a dedication. One end of the book may have been cut off during restoration in the eighteenth century.

In the past, the figure has been interpreted as an allegory of Fame whose attributes include the trumpet, depicted in the figure's hand. However, the trumpet is also recommended in Cesare Ripa's Iconologia for representations of Clio, along with laurel and a book by Thucydides.