3-097-992 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Portrait of a Lady, 1585. Woman wearing an ornate headdress, a delicate lace collar, so high that it practically covers the entire ear, and strings of pearls. Among her jewels, one stands out above all others: the enormous ruby hanging from her neck, an irregular, pear-shaped stone adorned with small emeralds forming a stem with three leaves - a unique piece in Renaissance jewellery. It most likely evokes a fruit of the earth, perhaps a small pepper, given the time of year, an element of great exoticism that arrived in Spain from the Americas, even serving as an ornamental plant in many European gardens. In the background, a curious pictorial device has been introduced: a simulated canvas is depicted almost at the edge of the real canvas, where the tacks securing the fabric to the frame are partially visible. A crimson silk curtain is gathered at the left corner of this simulated canvas. The effect gives the viewer the impression of being before a curious trompe l'oeil. Few examples of this type of image have survived.