Portrait of a Lady

We do not know the identity of this lady. The downturned corners of her mouth give her a somewhat mournful expression. The painted framing at the top of the picture is similar to examples seen in Northern European portraits, suggesting that it might be by a German or Netherlandish artist who was working in Venice.The costume is meticulously painted and probably dates from about 1510–20, which may be when the portrait was made. The lady wears a pink damask gown with embroidered bands, and a row of pearls stitched to the bodice. The band across her chest features a pattern of hunting dogs chasing a deer and a hare. The artist has painted fine lines in the backgrounds of these scenes to suggest the individual embroidered gold threads. He has also painted every link in the long gold necklace with great attention to detail.