Dimensions 8.8 cm (height) x 7.1 cm (width) (Netto)
Rosalba Carriera made this small portrait using pastel on paper, a technique for which she was celebrated. Pastels are interesting things. They sit in an ambiguous place between drawing and painting. They offer a uniquely direct way to make an image – simply by dragging pigment across a surface. This immediacy lent itself to the creation of small, intimate works like this one. Pastels were also associated with the decorative arts; Carriera herself was trained in lace-making, and this tactile sensitivity shows in her delicate handling of the medium. Note the way she builds up the image through gentle gradations of tone, creating a soft, luminous effect. Carriera moved in elite circles; her ability to capture a likeness, combined with the precious quality of the pastel medium, made her sought-after among European aristocracy. This work challenges conventional distinctions between fine art and craft. It’s a reminder that materials, processes, and social context are all crucial to understanding an artwork's full meaning.
Comments
"Although Frederik himself was mostly interested in gardening and architecture and primarily brought back Venetian glass and other objects d'art, he also saw fit to acquire a few paintings on his two journeys. His purchases betray a particular appreciation of feminine beauty and include a group of paintings attributed to Jacopo Bassano, an oval painting by Giovan Gioseffo dal Sole (Fig. 1), a collection of pastels and miniatures brought from Rosalba Carriera (presumably including Fig. 2) (...)" (Jesper Svenningsen. "A noble circle. The vogue for collecting Italian paintings in Denmark 1690-1730": p. 3-4).
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