This 1616 self-portrait was originally a nude. Then a man had it covered up

For the first time in 342 years, art lovers will get to see Artemisia Gentileschi's The Allegory of Inclination as the artist intended — with full frontal nudity.

The 1616 painting, believed to be a self-portrait by the trailblazing female Italian artist, originally depicted a nude woman sitting in the clouds.

But 64 years after it was painted, its inheritor hired an artist to add a strategically placed veil to the artwork "to protect the decorum of his wife and children," Linda Falcone, co-ordinator of the Artemisia Up Close project, told As It Happens host Nil Köksal.

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Both the original painting, and the cover-up, were commissioned by descendants of the famous renaissance artist Michelangelo.

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https://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/allegory-of-inclination-nude-restoration-1.6652266