Portrait of Simonetta Vespucci
| Portrait of Simonetta Vespucci | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Artist | Piero di Cosimo |
| Year | c. 1490 |
| Medium | Oil on panel |
| Dimensions | 57 cm × 42 cm (22 in × 17 in) |
| Location | Musée Condé |
Portrait of Simonetta Vespucci is an oil on canvas painting by the
Style
The subject is a young girl portrayed at half length in profile, facing left. Her breasts are bared and a small snake twines around the necklace she is wearing. In the background is an open landscape, arid on the left and lush on the right. The dark clouds are a symbol of her early death, as is the dead tree in the background.[1] At the base of the painting is a border with an inscription that mimics carved letters, a method used in art since the Flemish painter Jan van Eyck at the beginning of the century; it reads: SIMONETTA IANUENSIS VESPUCCIA.
The dark clouds contrast with the pure profile of the face and the clear complexion. It is traditionally identified as a portrait of Simonetta.
An alternative suggestion is that she is presented as Proserpina, with the snake symbolizing the pagans' hope of resurrection.[3][4]
The bust, in 15th-century style, is slightly turned towards the spectator, so as to favour the view, and her shoulders are wrapped in a richly embroidered cloth. According to Schneider, her naked breasts would not have caused any offense to contemporary viewers. They were rather an allusion to
Her features have a surprising purity. The forehead is high, according to the fashion of the time which included a shaved hairline. The hairstyle is that of a married woman, gathered up in braids and richly decorated with ribbons, beads, and pearls.
Subject's identity
It is uncertain how closely the painting resembles Simonetta Vespucci, particularly since if it is a portrait of her, it is posthumous, having been painted about 14 years after her death. When she died, Piero di Cosimo was only 14 years old, so it is possible that it could be a copy of a work by an earlier artist.
The Musée Condé questions the identification of the subject, titling the painting Portrait of a woman, said to be of Simonetta Vespucci, and stating that the inscription of her name at the bottom of the painting may have been added at a later date.[5]
References
- ISBN 9783822819951.
- ^ ISBN 9783822819951.
- ISBN 9780300109115.
- ISBN 9780892368181.
- ^ "Portrait de femme dit de Simonetta Vespucci" (in French). Musée Condé. Retrieved 11 December 2011. Once on the museum's web site, click on the "Recherche" section, then search by "Vespucci" to find details of this painting.
External links
Media related to Simonetta Vespucci portrait by Piero di Cosimo at Wikimedia Commons- Official website of Musée Condé
