Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Portrait of Countess Teresa Dudley di Carpegna
(Baroque Europe )
Theresa Dudley (1624-98) was the daughter of Sir Robert Dudley, an English aristocrat who was in the service of Grand Duke Cosimo II de' Medici in Florence. In 1649, she married Count Mario di Carpegna, high steward to Cardinal Carlo de' Medici. The companion portrait of her husband remains in the family's possession. Many Italian artists thought that portraits made from life were not challenging, and, therefore, several Flemish portraitists were able to make prosperous careers serving the aristocracy of Italy, in Sustermans's case, the Medici rulers of Florence and their circle.
The artist's brushwork brings out the delicacy of the countess's skin, set off by frothy sleeves. The dress, jewelry, and pose are simplified versions of an earlier portrait by Sustermans of the grand duchess, wife of Cosimo II. In this way, the countess paid a complement to her social superior.
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object.
Don Marcello Massarenti Collection, Rome; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1902, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
Exhibitions
| 1981-1982 | New Light on Old Pictures: Dutch and Flemish Paintings from the Walters. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. |
Conservation
| Date | Description | Narrative |
|---|---|---|
| 12/8/2022 | Treatment | surface cleaned; varnish removed or reduced |
| 6/12/1952 | Treatment | coated; filled; inpainted; varnish removed or reduced |
| 9/17/1980 | Examination | examined for condition |
| 9/17/1980 | Treatment | coated; filled; infrared spectroscopy; inpainted; lined; other; re-housed; surface cleaned; varnish removed or reduced |
Geographies
Italy, Florence (Place of Origin)
Measurements
H: 43 3/16 x W: 35 3/4 in. (109.7 x 90.8 cm)
Credit Line
Acquired by Henry Walters with the Massarenti Collection, 1902
Location in Museum
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
37.330