Portrait of Felicina Caglio Perego di Cremnago 1842

Francesco Hayez painted "Portrait of Felicina Caglio Perego di Cremnago" in oil on canvas. Felicina’s gaze meets ours with an expression that seems to hint at something more than just an aristocratic pose. Painted in Italy, we see a woman whose dress and jewellery indicate elite status. Hayez was well known in the art academy system and associated with Italian Romanticism. During the first half of the 19th century, Italy was undergoing enormous social change. Artists were often called upon to produce art that promoted the values of the elite class, but many, like Hayez, were also interested in representing a more liberal approach to social progress. It’s worth noting that Hayez would later become the director of the Brera Academy in Milan and he played an active role in defining Italian artistic identity. As art historians, we might look at fashion trends, social histories, and the biographies of both the artist and the sitter to understand the painting as a cultural artifact.