"A portrait is a picture in which there is just a tiny little something not quite right about the mouth." -- John Singer Sargent

Thursday, March 7, 2019

Emilia Pia



This c. 1502-1504 painting of Emilia Pia da Montefeltro by Raphael (Raffaello Santi) hangs in the Baltimore Museum of Art in Baltimore, Maryland
....my lady, Emilia Pia...was endowed with such lively wit and judgement...it seemed as if...everyone gained wisdom and worth from her.

With these words, Baldassare Castiglione, author of The Book of the Courtier, 1507, immortalized the bright, witty Emilia Pia who lived at Italy's sophisticated Court of Urbino.

The Renaissance master Raphael, who grew up at court, painted Emilia as a young widow in black mourning garb and veil edged in lace. The light and shadow playing ever so subtly across her face suggests a strong and vital spirit despite the fact that she had lost her husband at an early age.

“Elegant and vivacious with a quick skeptical mind,” Emilia led artists, poets, and scholars in witty repartee and after-dinner discussions about literature, art, philosophy, and the qualities of grace and honor expected of a courtier and court lady. – Baltimore Museum of Art

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