Portrait of a young Venetian 1506

Albrecht Durer painted this portrait of a young Venetian woman in oil on wood. The painting captures the sitter's individuality, but also reflects the social conventions of Renaissance portraiture. Durer made the portrait during his second trip to Venice, when the city was a prosperous center of trade and culture. The woman's clothing and jewelry suggest she's from a wealthy family. But the portrait also demonstrates the influence of the Venetian school of painting in Durer’s naturalistic style. The light and color, for example, evokes the art of Giovanni Bellini. The inscription on the sitter's dress, ASPICIO NESCI QUI, presents something of a puzzle to art historians. The phrase can be loosely translated from the Latin as 'I do not know who I aspire to'. The inscription suggests that the sitter desires something beyond her present circumstances, and that Durer’s paintings often subtly questioned the social order of the time. To truly understand this painting, we need to research the cultural and social context in which it was made, including the history of Venice, Renaissance portraiture, and Durer's artistic development. By doing so, we can better appreciate the painting's meaning and significance.