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Portrait of a Noblewoman
(Baroque Europe )
Turning her gaze towards the spectator with one hand resting on her hip, this noblewoman has a stately, matronly appearance that is intended to express personal discipline and dignity. Her lavish costume-with a scarf tied to her hair, a brocade dress set with pearls and a feather, and jeweled pendants-communicates her social status, as does the column, suggestive of a palatial setting, a compositional device developed during the 16th century to communicate aristocratic status.
For more information on this portrait, please see Federico Zeri's 1976 catalogue no. 421, pp. 531-532.
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object. Learn more about provenance at the Walters.
Don Marcello Massarenti Collection, Rome [date and mode of acquisition unknown] [1897 catalogue: no. 778, as Portrait of an Actress, by Largillière]; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1902, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
Conservation
| Date | Description | Narrative |
|---|---|---|
| 12/19/1936 | Treatment | examined for condition; repaired; varnish removed or reduced |
| 11/13/2001 | Examination | examined for condition |
| 11/15/2001 | Treatment | filled; lined; loss compensation; surface cleaned; varnish removed or reduced |
Geographies
Italy, Rome (Place of Origin)
Measurements
Painted surface H: 37 11/16 x W: 28 7/16 in. (95.7 x 72.2 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.
37.410