GHIRLANDAIO, Ridolfo
(b. 1483, Firenze, d. 1561, Firenze)

Portrait of a Woman

1508
Oil on wood, 61 x 47 cm
Galleria Palatina (Palazzo Pitti), Florence

Her face, full of character and good humour, looks out at us as it perhaps looked to a prospective bridegroom. One of the functions of portraiture was to introduce young people to one another - most often her to him. Her clothing tells much: a consciousness of her worth without extravagance.