Overview
- The Washington, D.C., museum confirmed the acquisition of Mary Magdalene in Ecstasy (c. 1625), its first significant work by Gentileschi.
- The painting will go on view in the permanent galleries in late February after technical study, with no conservation required.
- Curators plan pigment analysis and are awaiting a period 17th-century frame from a Swiss dealer before installation.
- Funding came from a gift by Nina J. Cohen in honor of Emanuel Cohen and the Patrons’ Permanent Fund.
- The announcement came the same day Christie’s New York sold Gentileschi’s Self-Portrait as Saint Catherine of Alexandria for $5.69 million, a new auction record.