European Art and Old Masters

Note The youngest daughter of Prospero Fontana, Lavinia Fontana was arguably one of the most revered female painters of her time. A member of the Roman Academy and a major figure in the Bolognese art scene of the second half of the 16th century, she painted a variety of subjects, including allegorical and religious themes, such as the altarpiece of Saint Peter's cathedral. She was also the official court painter of Pope Clement VIII. Fontana however, was best known for her delicately rendered portraits of often elegantly attired women, which certainly inspired the artist who executed the present work - a gem of preciosity and delicacy, which not only catches the splendor of Bolognese fashion at the time, but also shows how influenced the artist (and Fontana herself) was by the Carracci family of painters, particularly Ludovico Carracci.