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Portrait of a Young Lady
Federico Barocci (Italian, 1535–1612)
1600
- Medium
- Oil on canvas
- Classification
- Painting
- Dimensions
- width 104.5 cm, height 138 cm, height 119.5 cm, width 83 cm
- Culture
- Italian
- Museum
- SMK – National Gallery of Denmark
- Rights
- Public Domain Mark: SMK waives its rights in this photograph, as the museum states it.
- Who can see it
- Tweens profiles and older: its subjects are known and suit older children. How works are placed
View at the SMK – National Gallery of Denmark
About this work
The first thing that catches my eye is the woman’s lustrous gown. Wrapped in precious silk, embellished with gold and silver threads, and finished with an elaborate collar, her dress not only indicates her high social rank, but appears to be akin to a shimmering armour. With the body slightly turned away and her hands gently folded, the sitter radiates an untamed serenity. From the moment I first encountered the painting, I was drawn by the striking contrast between the soft, blurred contours of the woman’s face and the intense gaze of her eyes. As I shifted my position multiple times, I came to understand that regardless of one’s vantage point, the woman maintains a direct and unwavering focus on the viewer through her gaze. The identity of the sitter remains unknown. However, she possesses the self-confidence of a woman of high status, which her name would confirm if we could find it (50 Favorites in the SMK Collection).
