Conservation image
Domenico Ghirlandaio
Italian, 1449–1494
Portrait of a Lady
c. 1490
This fashionably dressed young woman represents an ideal of femininity often celebrated in Renaissance Florence. Her physical beauty would have been considered a reflection of moral virtue, as suggested by the orange blossom she holds, which symbolizes chastity. The identity of the sitter remains a mystery, but the portrait may have been commissioned to commemorate her marriage—she wears a ring and pendant of the kind traditionally given as wedding gifts.
| Medium | tempera, oil, and gold on panel |
| Dimensions | 22 1/16 x 14 13/16 in. (56.1 x 37.7 cm); Framed: 31 1/4 x 24 1/4 in. (79.4 x 61.6 cm) |
| Object Number | 1955.938 |
| Acquisition | Acquired by Sterling and Francine Clark before 1955 |
| Status | On View |
Image Caption
Domenico Ghirlandaio, Portrait of a Lady, c. 1490, tempera, oil, and gold on panel. Clark Art Institute, 1955.938
