Portrait of a Lady, 1770/1780 and Portrait of a Lady, 1775/1785
oil on canvas; inv. P 128, P 129
provenance: Bequest of Pier Ignazio Rusconi, 1930
Although these paintings are clearly from the refined sphere of late
18th century English portraiture, the identity of the artist has not
yet been determined. In the first portrait, the sitter’s hair
falls gently onto her shoulders.
She wears a dress of somber ornamentation, but still in the rococo
style. In the second, the sitter’s hair is gathered by a
simple white veil. On her shoulders she wears a soft fichu.
From these details it seems likely that the painting was executed
sometimes between 1770 and 1780.
