Poppy Harvey-Jones
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Lot 23TP
Florentine Schoolearly 17th CenturyPortrait of a lady, traditionally identified as Giulia Ruini Musotti,
6 December 2017, 15:30 GMT
London, New Bond Street£15,000 - £20,000
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Florentine School, early 17th Century
Portrait of a lady, traditionally identified as Giulia Ruini Musotti, three-quarter-length, in a red brocade gown with a winged collar, standing with her dog beside her
bears inscription 'IVLIA RVINA MVSOTTA / POLITIORIBVS LITERIS / ET EGREGIIS MORIBVS, / SVPRA SEXVM EXCVLTA / OBIIT ANNO ÆTATIS XV' (upper right)
oil on canvas
129.5 x 98.2cm (51 x 38 11/16in).
bears inscription 'IVLIA RVINA MVSOTTA / POLITIORIBVS LITERIS / ET EGREGIIS MORIBVS, / SVPRA SEXVM EXCVLTA / OBIIT ANNO ÆTATIS XV' (upper right)
oil on canvas
129.5 x 98.2cm (51 x 38 11/16in).
Footnotes
Provenance
Count Francesco Cavazza, Bologna, by 1911
Private Collection, Italy
Exhibited
Florence, Palazzo Vecchio, Mostra del Ritratto italiano, March-October 1911, sala XV, no. 32, in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Unification of Italy
The noblewoman in the present portrait is depicted in a sumptuous dress typical of the period and inspired by Spanish fashions. Her lace collar a lattuga sits at the top of her stiff bodice and her voluminous false sleeves fall over equally elaborate sleeves made of finer fabric. The elongated bodice comes to a point well below the waist and sits above her wide skirt supported by a stiff farthingale. The attenuated form of the bodice is echoed by the long strand of pearls around her neck along with an elaborately worked necklace. The whole ensemble serves to give an impression of great luxury and is of the type shown in the portrait of a member of the Medici family now hanging in the Museo degli Argenti in Palazzo Pitti.
The present work is notable for the particular attention the artist has paid to the finer details of the costume, whilst a strong sense of perspective in some areas is lacking. In this way the artist has brought into relief the figure and in so doing, has created a sense of the noblewoman's isolation and distinction, following in the tradition of Bronzino's portraiture. The present work is typical of other portraits of the turn of the 16th Century and, stylistically speaking, anticipates the work of the young Justus Sustermans, an artist so closely associated with the Medici family in the 17th century.