English: Ginevra Aldrovandi's husband, the Bolognese senator Ercole Hercolani, died in 1593. Her elaborate mourning costume-with costly brocade, lace, and pearls-indicates her high social status. She holds a handkerchief, suggesting the tears she shed at her husband's death. The lapdog is her pet, but it also carries symbolic significance. During the 16th century, a widow who did not re-marry, staying faithful to her husband's memory, was often compared to a dog that was faithful to its master.
Date
circa 1595
date QS:P571,+1595-00-00T00:00:00Z/9,P1480,Q5727902
Old Mistresses: Women Artists of the Past. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. 1972. Lavinia Fontana, 1552-1614. Museo Civico Archaeologico di Bologna, Bologna. 1994. Italian Women Artists from Renaissance to Baroque: Commerce, Court and Convent. National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington. 2007.
Credit line
Acquired by Henry Walters with the Massarenti Collection, 1902
References
Federico Zeri (1976) (in English) Italian paintings in the Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore: Walters Art Gallery, no. 260 , pp. 84−385 OCLC: 2463997.
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