Saturday, September 4, 2010

A Mystery In Paint: Portrait of a Woman, 19th Century

Portrait from The National Gallery
Part of The (British) National Gallery’s collection in London, this splendid painting is as mysterious as it is beautiful. The painting is unfinished. The artist has reused a canvas upon which he (or someone else) had begun a drawing of a nude man. Originally the sitter was thought to be Eliza Bonaparte (1777-1820), however, this was refuted.

Many have conjectured as to who the artist was and if the sketch and the painting are the work of two different hands. Once attributed to Jacques-Louis David, this was later proven to be untrue. While it is believed that this is an Italian work, some say it’s too French in style to be Italian. Others say the opposite. And, so she remains, unknown, uncategorized. But, from the look on her face, you can tell she really doesn’t care.

2 comments:

JavaBeanRush said...

Very interesting. I love stories like this, these open-ended mysteries; there's so much left to discover.

Then again, they make me restless because I'd like solid answers.

For instance, there's a portrait of a milliner from the 19th century who's wearing a red plaid tam, black apron and yellow blouse that are obvious inspirations for Judy Garland's first outfit in The Pirate (1949). I've never been able to discover the name of the artist (it's not clear on the canvas) and not knowing is driving me batty.

Still, the thrill of the hunt...

Joseph Crisalli said...

Indeed, it makes me restless, too. But, yes, the thrill of the hunt compensates for that. I was unfamiliar with the portrait you mention above. Thanks for bringing it to my attention. And, yes! I can see the inflience on the introductory costume in "The Pirate." Thanks!