Author: Sebastiana Gangemi
Source/Credit: The Dot Cultura

Artemisia Gold’s conservation and research initiative dedicated to Plautilla Bricci’s Birth of the Virgin has been featured in The Dot Cultura in an article by journalist Sebastiana Gangemi.

The article explores the significance of Bricci’s monumental 1660 altarpiece, housed in the Church of Santa Maria in Campo Marzio in Rome, and examines the ambitious restoration and research programme launched by Artemisia Gold.

Beyond the conservation of the painting itself, the project includes technical and scientific analysis, diagnostic investigations, art historical research, educational initiatives, media outreach, a bilingual Italian-English scholarly publication, a documentary film, and a future public exhibition. The initiative seeks not only to restore the physical integrity of the work, but also to advance understanding of Plautilla Bricci’s artistic practice and reinforce her position within the history of Baroque art.

The article highlights the exceptional nature of Birth of the Virgin, a rare seventeenth-century altarpiece centred on female figures and commissioned by Abbess Anna Maria Mazzarino for the Benedictine monastery of Santa Maria della Concezione a Campo Marzio. It also discusses the importance of the project as an opportunity to study Bricci’s materials, techniques, and creative process for the first time through comprehensive scientific investigation.

Plautilla Bricci (1616–1705) is increasingly recognised as one of the most remarkable women artists of the Roman Baroque. A painter, architect, and sculptor, she remains one of the few documented women to have practised architecture professionally in seventeenth-century Europe.

Read the Original Article

Il grande progetto sulla Natività della Vergine di Plautilla Bricci
By Sebastiana Gangemi

Read the article on The Dot Cultura

About the Project

The total budget for the restoration and research initiative is $150,000. Funds raised will support conservation treatment, scientific analysis, documentation, publication, education, and public engagement activities designed to bring renewed attention to the life and work of Plautilla Bricci and ensure the preservation of one of her most important surviving masterpieces.