At least until 1912 the portrait on the left had the correct title: "Beatrice d'Este" (see: Edgcumbe Staley: Lords and Ladies of the Italian Lakes, London 1912, opposite of page 236), before one of the "experts" amongst the art historians changed it into "Barbara Pallavicino". And as is usual in the art world this nonsense was then regurgitated again and again with strong conviction. When you search for portraits of Beatrice d'Este on the Internet, you will not find this most important one of her any longer (except of course on my page). It was made by her Milanese court painter Ambrogio de Predis in 1495. But this portrait is an identification portrait and therefore easily to identify as "Beatrice d'Este". Everyone who knows the symbols or emblems of the Sforza therefore is capable of identifying this young lady. To my astonishment the art historians in the Uffizi (Florence), where this portrait is located, already put a question mark behind the title "Barbara Pallavicino". So they are not any longer 100% sure that the depicted is "Barbara Pallavicino". And in the Christ Church Gallery (Oxford) you find a copy of the portrait on the right, which still has the correct title "Beatrice d'Este". The centre image is a bust of Beatrice d'Este which is completely decorated with symbols or emblems of the Sforza and the Este.
12/08/2014
For a change, something positive about the art history of the Renaissance!
Danke! 💖
Neu: Wer ist Mona Lisa?
Wer ist Mona Lisa? – Identifizierung einer Unbekannten mit Hilfe historischer Quellen
als Buch bei amazon.de: 172 Seiten, mit Stammtafeln und 136 Bildern (130 Bilder in Farbe), Independently published, 1. Auflage, ISBN 978-1-9831-3666-5, € 29,31
Dritter Band der Sforza Serie
Die Sforza III: Isabella von Aragon und ihr Hofmaler Leonardo da Vinci
488 Seiten, 322 Abbildungen und Stammtafeln, €49.90 (Format 21 x 27 cm)