A Genoese Lady with Her Child
c. 1623–25
Medium
oil on canvas
Dimensions
unframed: 217.8 × 146 cm · framed: 266.5 × 184 × 12 cm
Classification
Painting
Department
European Painting and Sculpture
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Gift of the Hanna Fund
Accession Number
1954.392
Rights
Public Domain
Tags
About this artwork
Prior to the 1600s, large, full-length portraits of wealthy clients usually emphasized the trappings of status above any other qualities. The accuracy of the likeness and vivacity of the person remained subordinate to an easily readable sense of the sitter’s power and position in society. Artists such as Van Dyck transformed this tradition, which sent shockwaves through Genoa, instantly changing the direction of elite portraiture in the city. While the elaborate garb of this unidentified sitter ...