Portrait of a Lady
A woman with pale white skin and her blond hair covered by a wide veil is shown from the waist up in this vertical portrait painting. Her folded hands rest on the lower edge of the panel, suggesting that she sits just on the other side, close to us. The transparent white veil covers her blond hair and falls in stiff, wide panes down in front of her shoulders. Her hair is pulled back behind a black ribbon over a high forehead. Her light brown eyes are downcast and she has a straight nose and full, pale pink lips. Her chest is covered by another veil and is tucked into the deep V-neck of her long-sleeved, black dress. A wide scarlet-red belt adorned with an ornately filigreed gold belt buckle encircles her narrow waist. Her skin, white veils, and red belt contrast sharply with her velvety black dress and the dark pine green of the background.
Details
- Palette
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Select a color to find related artworks.
- Medium
- oil on panel
- Dimensions
- painted surface: 34 x 25.5 cm (13 3/8 x 10 1/16 in.) overall (panel): 37 x 27 cm (14 9/16 x 10 5/8 in.) framed: 60.9 x 53.3 x 11.4 cm (24 x 21 x 4 1/2 in.)
- Department
- CNE-R
- Holding institution
- National Gallery of Art
- Image provider
- national-gallery-of-art
- License
- CC0-1.0
- Credit
- Andrew W. Mellon Collection
Art Genome Taxonomy
8 tags
Subject Matter
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Portrait Both · 99%
The title and image identify the work as a formal portrait of a single woman.
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Individual Portrait Both · 99%
One female sitter is shown alone in a waist-up format.
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Face Visual · 99%
The composition gives strong emphasis to the sitter’s face and lowered eyes.
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Related to Fashion Visual · 88%
The veil, black dress, red belt, and ornate gold buckle make clothing and adornment prominent visual elements.
Visual Qualities
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Highly Detailed Visual · 97%
The face, hands, veil, fabric folds, belt, and buckle are rendered with finely resolved detail.
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Dark Colors Visual · 96%
Dark black clothing and a deep blue-green background dominate the composition, contrasted with pale skin and light textiles.
Medium and Techniques
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Oil on Panel Metadata · 99%
The catalog identifies the medium as oil on panel.
Time Periods
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15th Century Art Metadata · 99%
The National Gallery of Art dates the painting to circa 1460, placing it in the fifteenth century.
Source & rights
Rogier van der Weyden. Portrait of a Lady. Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington.