Artwork
A Woman Putting Flowers in Her Hair
A Woman Putting Flowers in Her Hair is an unspecified portrait miniature by the Baroque artist Rosalba Carriera. It dates from 1710 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
About this work
Rosalba Carriera painted it on ivory instead of the usual animal skin, which made the colors look brighter and smoother.
A woman tucks tiny flowers into her upswept hair. Her face glows soft pink against a pale background.
This little painting was probably the lid of a snuff box—those small containers people carried in the 1700s. Rosalba Carriera painted it on ivory instead of the usual animal skin, which made the colors look brighter and smoother. Most artists at the time worked in oil, but she used pastels, giving her work a gentle, powdery feel.
To see more of her delicate pastel portraits, look up Rosalba Carriera (Italian, 1675–1757).
Overview
A Woman Putting Flowers in Her Hair is a portrait miniature painted on ivory by Rosalba Carriera. The elliptical shape suggests it was originally the lid of a snuff box, a small container used to store powdered tobacco.
Subject & Meaning
The miniature depicts a woman gently placing flowers in her upswept hair, her face softly illuminated against a pale background.
Technique & Style
Carriera used a mixture of watercolor and gouache to achieve a smooth, opaque finish on the ivory surface, a technique she termed 'fondelli'. This innovation allowed her to emulate the soft, powdery quality of her pastel work.
History & Provenance
Carriera's development of painting on ivory revolutionized the art of miniature portraiture, influencing many artists to adopt ivory as their preferred medium in the early 1700s.
Artist & collection
Artist
Rosalba Carriera (12 January 1673 – 15 April 1757) was an Italian Rococo painter.
A Woman Putting Flowers in Her Hair
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