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139 AMY GOLAHNY Rembrandt's Artemisia

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139 AMY GOLAHNY Rembrandt's Artemisia AMY GOLAHNY Rembrandt's Artemisia: Arts Patron* One of the more vexing questions of identity in Rembrandt studies has been posed by the seated woman in the Prado canvas of i634 (fig. I). She has been called Sopho- nisba or Artemisia. The two ancient queens share certain circumstances, most par- ticularly a drink, that each consumes for opposing purposes. Sophonisba's drink is a poison draught that is her death sentence brought about by her disloyalty to her husband, and Artemisia's, an ash-and-herb mixture that is homage to her deceased husband. Confusion between Sophonisba and Artemisia is understandable. In the literature of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the figure has been known consistently as Sophonisba, with two dissenting voices presenting her as Artemi- sia.' The label of Sophonisba has been tenacious, and, in the exceptional cases where she has been labelled Artemisia, the reasons for identifying her are not fully explained. By examining what is shown in the picture and the relevant textual sources, we may ascertain her identity as Artemisia, and better understand the im- age as a unique invention reflecting literary allusion and artistic rivalry. The composition of the picture is a pyramid: at the apex, the massive woman ensconced in a chair, visible only as blue-velvet armrests; and at the base, a kneel- ing maid and a table bearing a large folio. The sweep of the maid's arm echoes the curved edge of the table top. The signature and date, prominently inscribed on one blue velvet armrest, may be a later addition, but the date is plausible and Rem- brandt's authorship has not been doubted.' Sophonisba's Story In his history of the wars between the Romans and Numidians, Livy related So- phonisba's story.3 Sophonisba left her first husband Syphax, the Numidian king fighting the Romans, to gain favor from Masinissa, another north African king, in his alliance with Rome; she begged Masinissa to marry her so that she would be protected from the Romans, who distrusted her and regarded her as a traitor to her own land. He agreed to protect her from the Romans up to the time when he could no longer do so, and then have her drink poison; otherwise the Romans would have punished her and then killed her in a more public and painful way. When the time came, he sent a farewell letter instructing her to drink the accom- panying poison draught. Typical representations of Sophonisba include a mes- senger who brings the poison and occasionally also a letter, soldiers who indicate the on-going war, and women attendants in dismay. Livy stated that Sophonisba 'took the cup and calmly drained it'. More often than not, Sophonisba is shown expressing anxiety, surprise, or horror. After she drinks the liquid, she will die - a fate she does not welcome, but which she hurriedly accepts. Her ex-husband Syphax will then be deposed and imprisoned by the Romans, and Masinissa, in 139 I Rembrandt,Artemisia, signed and dated 1634,canvas, 142 x 1 j cm. Madrid,Musco dcl Prado. reward for his loyalty to the Romans, will be crowned king of Numidia by Scipio. Rembrandt's painting includes none of the elements typical in representations of Sophonisba: messenger, soldiers, and distraught attendants. The cup in Rem- brandt's painting is another clue that the woman in Rembrandt's painting is Arte- misia, rather than Sophonisba. The latter's drink, sent by Masinissa, needed to be transported over some distance; consequently, a covered vessel was appropriate. A covered vessel is used in other representations of Sophonisba, among them those by Pieter Lastman and Gerbrand van den Eeckhout.4 Artemisia's drink, mixed on the spot in her palace, would need no cover. Rembrandt's young maid respectfully 5 holds the open cup, elaborately mounted in gold, by grasping its base with a cloth.' Another aspect of the cup reinforces this identification of Artemisia. Shells, formed naturally and high in calcium deposits, were corroded by acidic substances. Used as vessels, they were thought to detect poison, which usually was carried in acidic liquids.6 A shell cup would be unnecessary as a poison-detector for Sopho- nisba, who is aware of the nature of her drink. 140 .
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