"Portrait of a Young Woman," Antonio or Piero del Pollaiolo, c. 1470.

One could say "Antonio and/or Piero" as it's unknown which of them painted this, or if the two worked together.

Antonio (C. 1429 or 33 - 1498) and Piero (C. 1443 - C. 1496) were brothers who worked together and shared a studio in Florence, and frequently collaborated on works. In fact, it's become so difficult to tell which did what, or if they worked together, that many works are just attributed to "the Pollaiolo Brothers." Neither was known to sign their works very often.

Antonio, the older by a decade, was also a sculptor and goldsmith; Piero was known only for his painting. Their father was a wealthy poultry merchant, hence their adopted name, a sort of joke as "pollaiolo" means "chicken coop" in Italian.

The identity of the sitter is unknown, although she's obviously from a wealthy family, what with the fancy hairdo and the jewelry. It's thought that this was an engagement portrait, as pearls often symbolize purity and rubies love, and the sitter's obvious youth makes the concept seem likely.

Happy Portrait Monday!

From the Museo Poldi Pezzoli, Milan.

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