Vintage Byzantine Framed Portrait of a lady MUST SEE
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We bought this many years ago and while researching it I found out it is by Rogier van der Weyden's and called Portrait of a Lady. This famous portrait is believed to be of Marie de Valengin, illegitimate daughter of Philip the Good of Burgundy. The upright figure is enclosed in a diamond-shaped structure of diagonals, probably even clearer originally, when the slender body would have stood out in rather more contrast to the deep, greenish blue background, which has now darkened. On the left, the wing of her head-dress forms a large diagonal line, continued in the patterned head-dress itself; on the right a rather shorter but broader wing of the head-dress balances the line, going the other way. There is a lot of emphases in the fashions that she wears: their slender, elongated elegance, the high forehead shaved at the hairline, the tall head-dress, and the low necked, close-fitting dress pulled in below the breasts with a broad belt are all suited to that ideal. The large diagonals emphasize the slender upper body and the pointed culmination of the structure of the figure at the head, while the clear outline of the veil over her forehead makes her skull seem even taller by continuing the left-hand contour of her face, and finally sweeping elegantly upward into the head-dress. It is called a hennin which was a conical shaped hat that was often gracefully draped with veils of various lengths. It could be single, or double (called an escofflon), or somewhat flattened on top, (known as a truncated hennin). Apparently, this little item was brought over to Europe by Marco Polo who had seen it adorning the Mongol women on his travels. There is much emphasis on such details as the sitter's large eyes and full, very sensuous lips, show that although her portrait may well have resembled her, it is still an idealization. This measures 15" wide and 19" long. The tag on the back was written on when we got it and apparently the seller did not date the correct period it was from since it would really have been 1455. I am not sure what this is ( it is not a painting) but it is such a tremendous portrait that we have kept it in our personal collection until now. I hope it finds a GOOD home.
Vintagesparkles
Spring Hill, Florida
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