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StatsPortrait of a Woman know as The Courtesan
1520
63.0 x 48.0 cm
Museo Poldi Pezzoli
jacopo palma the elder (? – 1528)
Discover Jacopo Palma the Elder: Venetian Renaissance painter known for captivating portraits & mythologies. Explore his works at museums in Italy!
Museo Poldi Pezzoli (Milan, Italy)
Discover the Museo Poldi Pezzoli in Milan! Explore a stunning 19th-century private collection of Italian & Northern European art, weaponry, ceramics, and lavish furnishings. A unique house-museum experience awaits!
Like other Venetian paintings of women from early sixteenth-century, this work was traditionally believed to be the portrait of a courtesan. Actually this female portrait contain precise allusions to marriage: the woman here represented displays her breast, a symbol of fertility, an offering of love and a seductive appeal. She has loosed her hair, an ancient tradition for Venetian brides, and wears a white blouse, a typical element of the bride’s trousseau and a symbol of chastity. Jacopo Palma the Elder, Venetian by adoption, was famous for these half-length images of attractively plump women, in which he provided his own interpretation of a model invented by Titian. The painting is datable to about 1520.
About this artwork
- Title: Portrait of a Woman know as The Courtesan
- Artist: jacopo palma the elder
- Year: 1520
- Original dimensions: 63.0 x 48.0 cm
- Format: Portrait
- Copyright status: Public domain
- Where to see it: Museo Poldi Pezzoli
- Color palette: Earthy
- Perceived brightness: deep_shadow