Portrait of a Young Woman as a Wise Virgin c. 1510

Sebastiano del Piombo’s c. 1510 painting, *Portrait of a Young Woman as a Wise Virgin*, depicts a woman in a blue dress holding a lamp. The image is a portrait, and the woman’s pose and the object she is holding suggest the work is allegorical, referencing the biblical parable of the wise and foolish virgins. The woman’s somber expression is intensified by the dark background. While the identity of the woman in this painting is unknown, the work is representative of del Piombo’s early style in its use of bold colors and meticulous detail.