Portrait of a Woman

Giovanni Battista Gaulli (Il Baciccio)

ca. 1670s · Oil on canvas · European Paintings

An early biography of Gaulli suggests that he adopted from the great Baroque sculptor Bernini a procedure of encouraging his sitters not to remain motionless, but to move about naturally, speaking and carrying on their affairs, since only in this way could he produce a true likeness. This unknown woman’s formal silk dress, covered in jewels and fur, conveys her social stature. By having her toy with her pearls and face us sidelong, Gaulli has also introduced an intimate immediacy. Best known today for painting vast, illusionistic ceilings, Gaulli first rose to fame through his portraits.

Artist

Giovanni Battista Gaulli (Il Baciccio)

Date

ca. 1670s

Medium

Oil on canvas

Department

European Paintings

Credit line

Gift of Álvaro Saieh Bendeck, Jean-Luc Baroni, and Fabrizio Moretti, in honor of Keith Christiansen, 2014