Artemisia Gentileschi was raped by Agostino Tassi, 'an artist her father had hired to teach her perspective'.
The story has somehow always haunted me: true, today no authority (one hopes) would torture a woman who made an allegation of rape. There are, however, far too many instances where people whether they be healthcare providers or those involved in law enforcement who do, nonetheless, engage in the contemporary equivalent.
Even in the most uncontroversial cases, cases where they are not even required to take any action because the person victimised chooses not to, there is a class of people who will, regardless, take it upon themselves to confirm the validity of the woman's story. That confirmation could take myriad forms: asking questions repeatedly to confuse the woman, informing her that her lived realities are invalid, discussing in her presence the likelihood of her lying, making it impossible for her to pursue legal remedies by creating impediments.
What's sad is that Artemisia Gentileschi's story doesn't seem alien in today's context. Neither is that of Agostino Tassi, her rapist. "Tassi originally denied the accusation, stating, 'Never have I had carnal relations nor tried to have it with the said Artemisia... I've never been alone in Artemisia's house with her.' He later claimed that he had visited the her house in order to safeguard her honor."
The trial in relation to which he was not tortured ended with his being convicted of rape in 1612. The trial took seven months and, "it was discovered that Tassi had planned to murder his wife, had committed incest with his sister-in-law and planned to steal some of Orazio's paintings. At the end of the trial Tassi was imprisoned for one year."
One year of imprisonment (apparently). Nothing more. He was, however, probably prematurely pardoned, and therefore remained imprisoned for only eight months after the conclusion of the trial.
Technically, she was not on trial. stood accused of raping her. ... Artemisia, however, was the one who was tortured to see if her story would remain consistent. The authorities used thumbscrews, tied cords around her hands and pulled them tight, which would be agonizing for anyone to go through but for a painter held a special horror. Tassi was not tortured, though his testimony was so contradictory that the judge told him repeatedly to stop lying. Artemisia was also subjected to a public examination to determine whether she had in fact been a virgin before the rape.
Source: Artemisia Gentileschi: Artist and Rape Survivor
The story has somehow always haunted me: true, today no authority (one hopes) would torture a woman who made an allegation of rape. There are, however, far too many instances where people whether they be healthcare providers or those involved in law enforcement who do, nonetheless, engage in the contemporary equivalent.
Even in the most uncontroversial cases, cases where they are not even required to take any action because the person victimised chooses not to, there is a class of people who will, regardless, take it upon themselves to confirm the validity of the woman's story. That confirmation could take myriad forms: asking questions repeatedly to confuse the woman, informing her that her lived realities are invalid, discussing in her presence the likelihood of her lying, making it impossible for her to pursue legal remedies by creating impediments.
What's sad is that Artemisia Gentileschi's story doesn't seem alien in today's context. Neither is that of Agostino Tassi, her rapist. "Tassi originally denied the accusation, stating, 'Never have I had carnal relations nor tried to have it with the said Artemisia... I've never been alone in Artemisia's house with her.' He later claimed that he had visited the her house in order to safeguard her honor."
The trial in relation to which he was not tortured ended with his being convicted of rape in 1612. The trial took seven months and, "it was discovered that Tassi had planned to murder his wife, had committed incest with his sister-in-law and planned to steal some of Orazio's paintings. At the end of the trial Tassi was imprisoned for one year."
One year of imprisonment (apparently). Nothing more. He was, however, probably prematurely pardoned, and therefore remained imprisoned for only eight months after the conclusion of the trial.