Portrait of a Lady

The brothers Francesco and Bernardino Zaganelli shared a workshop in Cotignola in Emilia Romagna. Their painting followed the traditions of the Ferrara school. Stylistically their work is difficult to distinguish; they worked so closely together that they formed the habit of jointly signing their paintings. The Portrait of a Lady, showing a young woman in an elegant dress with a fine hairnet, delicate circlet and a pearl necklace with a pendant jewel, is attributed to Bernardino. Instead of using a panoramic landscape as a background, customary both in the Low Countries and Italy, Zaganelli applied a neutral background popularised by his contemporary, Giovanni Bellini.