SQUEEEE WORTHY!
Dona Catalina over at RenaissanceFestival posted a most gorgeous picture the other day. Showing here:
Squee!! I don't often come across totally unknown portraits, especially not as striking as this one. In the WGA it's listed as a Moroni, and this is my main reason for posting it here. It doesn't seem very Moroni to me. True, it has the naturalism typical of northern Italy, especially the Lombardy area, but to me it's a lot more Cremonese in style. The latter include artists like the Anguissola sisters and Vincenzo Campi. It's both the treatment of the head and the style of dress that makes me think Cremona rather than Bergamo. But for all I know Moroni might have depicted a lady who was not native of Bergamo.
Whereas the sleeves remind a lot of the crimson Pisa dress, the bodice is different and in a transitional style. It hints of a corset or another shaping undergarb, and the bodice is enlonged both in the pointed front and at the sides. In that aspect it actually looks more Elizabethan in style. The split skirt is also an interesting detail, especially with that soft red (read: pink) colour combined with darker (velvet?) trims and a mustard/golden underskirt.
She also seems to be wearing a V shaped chemise with a partlet with high, open collar. Plus the ever so popular marten.
From here, through Dona Catalina: http://www.wga.hu/art/m/moroni/reddress.jpg
