Portrait of a Prelate
Lavinia Fontana
ca. 1580 · Oil on copper · European Paintings
Fontana was the most famous woman artist of her day, known above all for her portraits. This roundel’s minuscule scale required impressive control and tight paint handling, evident in the protruding veins of the man’s hand, the stitching and lace, and the shadows on the book. She used tiny brushstrokes that are barely perceptible, except in the beard, where deliberately distinct lines lend verisimilitude and animate the face.
- Artist
- Lavinia Fontana
- Date
- ca. 1580
- Medium
- Oil on copper
- Department
- European Paintings
- Credit line
- Bequest of Millie Bruhl Fredrick, 1962
