A Lady in Profile

Image credit: The National Gallery, London

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Portraits like this -- of idealised women, seen in profile -- were popular in fifteenth-century Florence. This picture is not by Botticelli but by his workshop, which was one of many that produced them. The women usually have fair hair, pale skin and rosy lips, as this was thought to be the most beautiful colouring.This belief was influenced by fourteenth-century poetic descriptions of beautiful -- and virtuous -- women. Since the face was seen as the mirror of the soul, such portraits also emphasised the character of their sitters.Like many other portraits of the period, this one has a painted reverse. It shows a winged figure standing on a rocky mound. We don't know the meaning of the image, but it most probably symbolised the woman's moral character.

The National Gallery, London

London

Title

A Lady in Profile

Date

about 1490

Medium

Tempera on wood

Measurements

H 59.1 x W 40 cm

Accession number

NG2082

Acquisition method

Bequeathed by the Misses Cohen as part of the John Samuel collection, 1906

Work type

Painting

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Normally on display at

The National Gallery, London

Trafalgar Square, London, Greater London WC2N 5DN England

View venue