57 - Circle of Lavinia Fontana

Circle of Lavinia Fontana (Italian, 1552-1614) Portrait of a Lady oil on cradled panel 13 1/2 x 10 in. (34.3 x 25.4 cm) This lot is located in Philadelphia. Framed: 24 x 19 1/2 x 3 in. Moderate deposits of surface soiling and dirt, notable at upper right. Minor loss to paint at right edge in fur collar. A small white accretion to panel at lower left in fur collar. Residue from frame present at extreme edges. Under UV: scattered strokes of inpainting present throughout, notable across left side of figure's face, along right side of hair accessory, and in shirt at center. Additional images available upon request. Provenance: Private Estate, Ohio. Lot Note: The youngest daughter of Prospero Fontana, Lavinia Fontana was among the most celebrated female painters of her generation. A member of the Roman Academy and a leading Bolognese painter of the second half of the sixteenth century, she worked across a range of genres, including allegorical and religious subjects, and painted an altarpiece for Saint Peter’s Cathedral. She was later appointed court painter to Pope Clement VIII. Fontana was perhaps best known for her refined portraits of elegantly dressed women, a genre that appears to have provided an important source of inspiration for the artist of the present work. Executed with exceptional delicacy and attention to detail, the portrait is a particularly precious example of late sixteenth-century Bolognese portraiture. The sitter’s sumptuous attire and carefully rendered accessories capture the sophistication of Bolognese fashion.