Curatorial Notes
The subject of this imposing portrait is unknown today. Her black costume and traditional mourning veil indicate her status as an aristocratic widow, while the prominent crucifix refers to her piety, as does the small prayer book in her hand. The woman is nearly life-size and framed by a dramatic black curtain, conventions in portraiture of the nobility across Europe at the time. In the decades around 1600, the Medici dukes of Florence intermarried with the ruling houses of Europe, and their court artists and work-shops helped establish an international style that appealed to princely and aristocratic collectors.
Artwork Identification
Title Portrait of a Noblewoman Dressed in Mourning
Title (PT) Retrato de uma nobre vestida de luto
Title (ES) Retrato de una mujer noble vestida de luto
Artist Jacopo da Empoli
Artist Bio Jacopo da Empoli (Jacopo Chimenti; Italian, 1551–1640)
Date c. 1600
Work Type Painting
Location & Collection
Institution Art Institute of Chicago
Source View Museum Page
License Creative Commons Public Domain Mark 1.0
