Circle of Simon Vouet

Private collection, France;

With Galerie Sanct Lucas, Vienna (as Attributed to Simon Vouet);

From whom acquired by Aso O. Tavitian, 2008.

The subject of this enigmatic and freely painted head of a young woman does not appear to be of a particular historical or religious figure, or even a portrait of an actual sitter. Rather it is an “aria di testa” or study of mood or emotion. Such depictions of affetti (as they were called) were popular amongst Italian artists of the early Baroque period, allowing them the freedom to explore a psychological dimension in their work without the constraint of a firm narrative. The image is simply meant to elicit a reaction from the viewer, and admiration for the virtuosity of the painter.

In this painting, the dramatic use of light enhances the mood that the artist is hoping to capture. The young woman is shown with her head tilted back and her chin jutting forward at a jaunty angle. Her beautifully rendered auburn hair is pulled back, but still flows freely over her right shoulder. She glances downward at the viewer, her parted lips with a slight smile—the effect is one of simultaneous hauteur and seduction.     

Despite its stunning quality, the painting has to date defied a secure attribution, although in the past it has been connected to Simon Vouet. This seems an apt observation, as the picture does have parallels with the French master’s style during his Roman sojourn of the mid-1620s, with its colorful and lyrical approach to the then prevailing Caravaggist manner.  Indeed, the beguiling attitude of the sitter finds parallels in a number of his female figures of these years. However, the handling of the paint is much more fluid than Vouet’s careful, intellectual technique. Instead, it betrays an artist whose approach is more spontaneous, perhaps more reminiscent of Guercino during his time in Rome. Indeed, both Vouet and Guercino inhabited the same artistic milieu in these years, with studios near each other and with overlapping contacts. The overt sensuality of the picture, with touches of pink in the nose and lips and the beautiful treatment of the hair, anticipates somewhat the work of Guido Cagnacci, himself in the studio of Guercino in these years.