Whit's End

I've been hunting for a portrait since January of 2003, when I first saw it at the Museo di Capodimonte in Naples, Italy.  At the time, I was being rushed out the door, as my group's bus was waiting for us.  This meant that I was not able to read the blurb about it on the wall, or even to grab a catalog from the book shop.  But even as I was being rushed towards the door, I was arrested by this painting, halted in midstep by the frankness in her gaze.

Since she was placed near a gallery of works by Titian, I mistakenly assumed that she was also by that artist, who happens to be one of my favorites.  (The Venus of Urbino, my icon for this post, is one of his works.)

After several searches of the Capodimonte's catalog, I was finally able to find her.  She is Antea, though her true identity is unknown.  Painted in the 1530s by Parmigianino, it is possible that she was a Roman courtesan who was also Parmigianino's mistress.  She is bold, straightforward, penetrating in her look.  The very beginnings of a cunning smile are there, but she mostly seems to challenge the viewer.  The painting is unusual in Renaissance portraiture, as women were not traditionally shown full-length.  Her clothing is bulky, but not constrictive in the way typical Italian Renaissance dresses were.  The deep V-neck of her gown suggests that the weight of her gown might just pull it right off of her shoulders, an impression that heightens my own belief in her identity as a courtesan, as artists often left clues to a sitter's identity in their clothing or setting.

**sigh**

I miss art.  Can I go back to Italy now?

(You can read about Antea here: http://www.moreintelligentlife.com/story/parmigianino039s-quotanteaquot and see the full portrait here: http://www.festiveattyre.com/research/secondflor/secflor20.html.)