Feminae: Medieval Women and Gender Index

Title: Widow of Alvise Contarini
Creator: Veneziano, Jacometto, artist
Description: A woman sits in three-quarter profile before a vast landscape. She wears a white headscarf and a black dress with a white portrait collar. Although this woman was identified as a Benedictine nun by 16th-century connoisseurs, her clothing does not quite fit with what Benedictine nuns wore. It is more likely that she is the widow of Alvise Contarini, whose portrait formed the companion piece to this work. The roebuck portrayed on the reverse of the painting, frequently an image of love, further supports the identity of the sitter as a widow.
Source: WikiMedia Commons
Rights: Public domain
Subject (See Also): Portraits Widows
Geographic Area: Italy
Century: 15
Date: ca. 1485-1495
Related Work: Companion portrait of Alvise Contarini: http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/1975.1.85,86
Current Location: New York, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1975.1.85, 86
Original Location:
Artistic Type (Category): Digital images; Paintings
Artistic Type (Material/Technique): Panel paintings; Oil
Donor:
Height/Width/Length(cm): 10.2cm/7.3cm/
Inscription:
Related Resources: