LAVINIA FONTANA | PORTRAIT OF A LADY, THREE-QUARTER LENGTH, DRESSED IN A WHITE AND GOLD EMBROIDERED GOWN, HOLDING A GLOVE IN ONE HAND AND A ROSE AND A PINK IN THE OTHER

Anonymous sale, London, Bonham's, 9 December 2015, lot 25 (as Circle of Fontana);

Anonymous sale, New York, Sotheby's, 26 January 2017, lot 127;

There acquired. 

Only recently restored to the artist’s oeuvre, this striking portrait of a noblewoman has been recognized by Maria Teresa Cantaro as an autograph work by Lavinia Fontana, dating between 1605 and 1615.¹  The identity of the distinguished sitter remains unknown but the opulence of her attire and the exquisite jewels about her neck indicate that she was a woman of high social standing and some considerable wealth. Her white silk gown is brocaded with gold and opens from the waist to reveal a forepart decorated with gold embroidered buttons. Her fashionable false sleeves are worn open to display further precious textiles in the under-sleeves, with multiple rows of gold braiding.  The sitter wears a ring on the third finger of both hands and in her right clasps two flowers, a rose and a pink, symbolic of love and fidelity. Their prominence in the portrait suggest it may have been commissioned in celebration of the young woman’s marriage.

One of the earliest professional female artists, Lavinia Fontana was first trained by her father, Prospero, who was one of the leading painters in their native city of Bologna. In her early years she was influenced by his Mannerist style, producing religious compositions both as large altarpieces and as small, highly finished paintings for private devotion. By the late 1570s, however, Lavinia had established herself as a portrait painter and it is this genre for which she is most famous today. As a sought-after portraitist, particularly amongst Bolognese noblewomen, she was successful enough to fully support her family (which included eleven children), and her husband became her agent and assistant. In 1603 she moved to Rome at the invitation of Pope Clement VIII and established a prosperous career there.

1. A copy of the expertise by Maria Teresa Cantaro, dated 9 May 2016, is available upon request from the department.