Italian, Venetian, 'Portrait of a Lady', about 1510-20
About the work
Overview
We do not know the identity of this lady. The downturned corners of her mouth give her a somewhat mournful expression. The painted framing at the top of the picture is similar to examples seen in Northern European portraits, suggesting that it might be by a German or Netherlandish artist who was working in Venice.
The costume is meticulously painted and probably dates from about 1510–20, which may be when the portrait was painted. The lady wears a pink damask gown with embroidered bands, and a row of pearls stitched to the bodice. The band across her chest features a pattern of hunting dogs chasing a deer and a hare. The artist has painted fine lines in the backgrounds of these scenes to suggest the individual embroidered gold threads. He has also painted every link in the long gold necklace with great attention to detail.
Key facts
Details
- Full title
- Portrait of a Lady
- Artist
- Italian, Venetian
- Date made
- about 1510-20
- Medium and support
- oil on wood
- Dimensions
- 36.8 × 29.8 cm
- Acquisition credit
- Bought, 1860
- Inventory number
- NG631
- Location
- Not on display
- Collection
- Main Collection
Provenance
From the collection of Col. Bourgeois, Paris. Purchased with the rest of the Edmond Beaucousin Collection, Paris, 1860.
Additional information
Text extracted from the ‘Provenance’ section of the catalogue entry in Martin Davies, ‘National Gallery Catalogues: The Earlier Italian Schools’, London 1986; for further information, see the full catalogue entry.
Bibliography
-
1951Davies, Martin, National Gallery Catalogues: The Earlier Italian Schools, London 1951
-
1986Davies, Martin, National Gallery Catalogues: The Earlier Italian Schools, revised edn, London 1986
-
2001
C. Baker and T. Henry, The National Gallery: Complete Illustrated Catalogue, London 2001
About this record
If you know more about this painting or have spotted an error, please contact us. Please note that exhibition histories are listed from 2009 onwards. Bibliographies may not be complete; more comprehensive information is available in the National Gallery Library.
Images
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