Artwork
Portrait of a Lady
Portrait of a Lady is an oil painting by the Early Renaissance artist Antonio del Pollaiuolo. It dates from 1475 and is held in the collection of the Uffizi Gallery.
About this work
Overview
Created around 1475, this tempera and oil panel portrays a woman in profile, her fair complexion and blonde hair arranged in an updo, accented by a decorative hairpiece. She wears a brown dress with a lace‑trimmed sleeve, a necklace, and a brown shawl, set against a flat blue background that heightens the contrast between figure and ground.
Subject & Meaning
The sitter’s serene expression and leftward gaze suggest a conventional portrait of a noble lady, typical of the Italian Renaissance’s interest in idealized femininity and status. The profile pose, common in courtly portraiture, emphasizes elegance and decorum rather than personal narrative.
Technique & Style
The work combines tempera’s precise, matte finish with oil’s richer tonal possibilities, a hybrid approach characteristic of mid‑15th‑century Florentine painters. The delicate rendering of the lace sleeve and the subtle modeling of the facial features reflect a careful handling of light and texture.
History & Provenance
Since 1861 the panel has been part of the Uffizi Gallery’s collection in Florence. Over the years it has been variously attributed to Piero della Francesca, a young Leonardo da Vinci, and Cosimo Rosselli, reflecting shifting scholarly opinions about its authorship.
Context & Attribution
The portrait belongs to a series of similar female profiles found in Milan, New York, Boston, and Berlin.
The portrait belongs to a series of similar female profiles found in Milan, New York, Boston, and Berlin. Some scholars assign the more refined examples to Antonio del Pollaiuolo, while others argue that all such works were painted by his brother Piero, citing Vasari’s omission of Antonio as a painter. The debate mirrors broader questions about the division of labor between the Pollaiuolo brothers.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Antonio del Pollaiuolo (UK: POL-eye-WOH-loh, US: POHL-, Italian: ; 17 January 1429/1433 – 4 February 1498), also known as Antonio di Jacopo Pollaiuolo or Antonio Pollaiuolo (also spelled Pollaiolo), was an Italian…
