Head of a woman 1485 - 1499

This is Head of a Woman, an anonymous painting on wood, residing here at the Met. The lack of a known artist immediately raises questions about class, gender, and access to artistic training. This portrait presents a woman in profile, adorned in what appears to be a head covering of some status. The headdress speaks to the complex construction of femininity during the time it was painted, and the tension between modesty and display. Who was she? Was she a noblewoman, a merchant's wife, or someone else entirely? Her identity is lost to history, yet her image remains. The cracks in the wood tell a story of survival, of an object that has endured despite the odds. Consider how her gaze meets yours across the centuries; a silent dialogue between past and present, representation and reality. What does it mean to look back at her and to consider the countless stories of women which have been erased?