After Carlo Dolci

This work replicates Carlo Dolci's Allegory of Poetry (Florence, Galleria Corsini, inv. no. 179) of circa 1648 or 1649. In Dolci's popular rendition, poetry is personified by an elegantly attired aristocratic woman crowned with laurel leaves. The golden edelweiss embroidery on her blue gown alludes to poetry's existence among the celestial disciplines.¹ A label on this painting's verso identifies the artist as Salvatore Giuliano, whose life and oeuvre remain enigmatic.

¹ On Dolci's original, see F. Baldassari, Carlo Dolci, Complete Catalogue of the Paintings, Florence 2015, p. 194, cat. no. 91.