(Genoa 1581– 1644 Venice)
Portrait of a Lady,
oil on canvas, oval, 98 x 79 cm, framed

Literature:
C. Manzitti, Bernardo Strozzi, Turin 2013, p. 231, no. 358

Manzitti has dated the present painting to Strozzi’s final period in Liguria. In terms of composition and style the painting is related to his works from the second half of the 1620s. During this period Strozzi was under the influence of Caravaggio’s style and arrived at a vivid naturalism that can be seen in the present painting. Moreover, Strozzi’s works from this period additionally reflect an influence of Rubens and other Flemish artists who had come to Genoa, which was then an important centre of art with prominent patrons. Subsequently, light and shadow were to play an important role in Strozzi’s oeuvre. Besides the pronounced impasto of thickly applied paint, the artist increasingly employed contrasts of light in order to define form.

The present painting can be compared with the artist’s Portrait of a Gentleman (North Carolina Museum of Art) as both paintings share identical poses of the sitters, each seated in a leather-upholstered chair decorated with metal fittings, a hand placed on an armrest. Both portraits are rendered against neutral backdrops, with the male portrait framed at the right margin by a curtain which recalls portraits by Anthony van Dyck.

The “bold naturalistic pose” of the lady depicted here is in stark contrast to the courtly imagery of official Flemish portraiture. The artist was here also certainly inspired by Rubens, varying the calm intimacy of the Portrait of Nicolò Pallavicini (private collection). Strozzi’s portraiture lacks the element of the sitter’s self satisfaction that often manifested itself in works by the Flemish artists from the same period and instead of displaying the precious garments and bulky ruffs of Spanish fashion, Strozzi transformed the painting’s simplicity and austerity into a key to psychological self-observation. The unidentified sitter, with her serious expression and demure attire, fits well within this style.