Portrait of a Venetian Woman

Portrait of a Young Venetian Woman is a small bust-length oil on elm panel painting by the German artist Albrecht Dürer from 1505.^[1] It was painted, along with several other high-society portraits, during Dürer's second visit to Italy

Portrait of a Young Venetian Woman, 1505. Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna. 35 x 26 cm.

Description

A German Woman from Venice, Albrecht Dürer, . 1507. Dahlem Museums, Berlin

The woman wears a patterned gown with tied-on sleeves that show the chemise beneath. Her hair frames her face in soft waves, and her back hair is confined in a small draped cap. The work's harmony and grace are achieved through its mixtures of tones, from her pale, elegant skin and reddish blond hair to her black-and-pearl necklace and highly fashionable patterned dress, all of which are highlighted against a flat black background.^[2]

The portrait is similar in pose and colour tone to his c. 1507 A German Woman from Venice. Two other two studies of Venetian women are known, both of which are very daring: one shows the model with a plunging neckline, the other with bare shoulders.^[3]

Attribution

Dürer became fascinated by Giovanni Bellini during his visit to Italy, and they eventually became friends. Bellini was already an established master when Dürer was still relatively unknown outside of Germany. The Franconian artist's influence can be seen in this work's soft modelling, dramatic lighting and vivid colours and tones.^[4][5]

The portrait was not attributed to Dürer until it was found in a private Lithuanian collection in 1923. The identity of the sitter is lost; however, in dress and hairstyle, she appears to be Venetian rather than Germanic.^[4] The portrait is unfinished; a number of elements, noticeably the black bow above her chest, are not as well described as in other passages.^[2]