Benedetto Gennari the Younger (Cento, 1633 - Bologna, 1715)
Portrait of a Woman (Ippolita Obizzi Campeggi?), 1650/1655 ca.
oil on canvas; inv. P 254
acquisition: bequest of Pier Ignazio Rusconi, 1930
The sitter might be Ippolita Obizzi, wife of Tommaso Campeggi, later portrayed also by Lorenzo Pasinelli in his Portrait of the Campeggi Family (around 1655, now in the fortress of Dozza Imolese).
This painting seems to be an early work by Benedetto Gennari the Younger, who practiced various artistic genres.
The son of Guercino’s sister, he was very active in the family workshop.
In 1672 he was at the court of Louis XIV and then in England under James II Stuart, who had married Maria Beatrice d’Este of Modena.
Joining the English royalty in exile, he returned once again to France.
His successful career as a court painter and his refined skill for portraiture earned him numerous artistic commissions from the nobility, even after he returned to Bologna.
In this half-length portrait the lady's hairstyle is typical of the end of the century.
The painter’s skill stands out in the meticulous rendering of the lace and in the way he conveys the softness of fabrics.
