A Parcel of Portraits (Favorites from Washington’s National Gallery, 11)
Post published:January 6, 2016
I’ll soon be visiting the National Gallery in D.C. for the first time in at least ten years. This batch of must-see favorites are portraits of fascinating women, 15th-19th centuries.
Van der Weyden
Elegant but so distant. Part of the reason I like this one is that the shape of her face (but not her attitude) remind me very much of a friend of mine.
Rogier van der Weyden (Netherlandish, 1399/1400 – 1464 ), Portrait of a Lady, c. 1460, oil on panel. Washington, National Gallery, Andrew W. Mellon Collection
Leonardo da Vinci
I prefer this portrait to the Mona Lisa, in large part because the Mona Lisa is covered with dark varnish. (Leonardo like to experiment with varnish: it didn’t always come out well.)
Leonardo da Vinci (Italian, 1452 – 1519 ), Ginevra de’ Benci [obverse], c. 1474/1478, oil on panel. Washington, National Gallery, Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund
Bernardino Luini
I couldn’t figure out why she looks so familiar … I think it’s that Mona Lisa smile.
Bernardino Luini, The Magdalen, Italian, c. 1480 – 1532, c. 1525, oil on panel. Washington, National Gallery, Samuel H. Kress Collection
Anthony van Dyck
Nothing says “nobility” like a red parasol, a servant to carry it, and a life-size portrait by van Dyck. Stunning composition. I need to see this one in person again.
Sir Anthony van Dyck (Flemish, 1599 – 1641 ), Marchesa Elena Grimaldi Cattaneo, 1623, oil on canvas. Washington, National Gallery, Widener Collection
Georges de la Tour
Think of it as a study of a woman deep in thought. De la Tour loves to paint lamplight in a dark room, and I love to see the results.
Georges de La Tour (French, 1593 – 1652 ), The Repentant Magdalen, c. 1635/1640, oil on canvas. Washington, National Gallery, Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund
George Romney
Utterly charming. You don’t see this sort of sympathic, almost casual portraits of children until the Enlightenment.
George Romney, Miss Juliana Willoughby, British, 1734 – 1802, 1781-1783, oil on canvas. Washington, National Gallery, Andrew W. Mellon Collection
Sir Henry Raeburn
She’s almost ethereal. Imagine the difference if her dress and the background were done with the precision of Ingres. Raeburn knows how to suggest rather than meticulously record – but look at the precision of the highlights on the nose, for example.
Sir Henry Raeburn, Miss Eleanor Urquhart, Scottish, 1756 – 1823, c. 1793, oil on canvas. Washington, National Gallery, Andrew W. Mellon Collection
Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres
And speaking of Ingres: this is one of his bread-and-butter works from his years in Rome, a pencil portrait of a wealthy tourist who wanted a souvenir. Note the sight-seeing attractions lightly sketched in at the lower left. In painted portraits, Ingres is famous for his extraordinary precision (you’d think you could do a thread-count on the dresses), but Mrs. Badham’s dress is sketched very loosely, which helps keep the focus on her face.
Drawings are never on view for long, for fear they’ll fade. If this one isn’t on display at the National Gallery when I visit, perhaps one of Ingres’s other sketches will be.
Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres (French, 1780 – 1867 ), Mrs. Charles Badham, 1816, graphite on wove paper. Washington, National Gallery, The Armand Hammer Collection
Coming soon
A selection of portraits of men, and a few of families.
More
Want wonderful art delivered weekly to your inbox? Check out my free Sunday Recommendations list and rewards for recurring support: details here.
{"id":null,"mode":"text_link","open_style":"in_modal","currency_code":"USD","currency_symbol":"$","currency_type":"decimal","blank_flag_url":"https:\/\/diannedurantewriter.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/tip-jar-wp\/\/assets\/images\/flags\/blank.gif","flag_sprite_url":"https:\/\/diannedurantewriter.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/tip-jar-wp\/\/assets\/images\/flags\/flags.png","default_amount":200,"top_media_type":"featured_image","featured_image_url":"https:\/\/diannedurantewriter.com\/\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/straushome2.jpg","featured_embed":"","header_media":null,"file_download_attachment_data":null,"recurring_options_enabled":true,"recurring_options":{"never":{"selected":true,"after_output":"One time only"},"weekly":{"selected":false,"after_output":"Every week"},"monthly":{"selected":false,"after_output":"Every month"},"yearly":{"selected":false,"after_output":"Every year"}},"strings":{"current_user_email":"","current_user_name":"","link_text":"Tip directly on my website, one-time or recurring","complete_payment_button_error_text":"Check info and try again","payment_verb":"Pay","payment_request_label":"Dianne L. Durante, Writing Addict + Adept","form_has_an_error":"Please check and fix the errors above","general_server_error":"Something isn't working right at the moment. Please try again.","form_title":"Dianne L. Durante","form_subtitle":"Say \"Well done, Dianne!\"","currency_search_text":"Country or Currency here","other_payment_option":"Other payment option","manage_payments_button_text":"Manage your payments","thank_you_message":"Thanks for your support!","payment_confirmation_title":"Dianne L. Durante, Writing Addict + Adept","receipt_title":"Your Receipt","print_receipt":"Print Receipt","email_receipt":"Email Receipt","email_receipt_sending":"Sending receipt...","email_receipt_success":"Email receipt successfully sent","email_receipt_failed":"Email receipt failed to send. Please try again.","receipt_payee":"Paid to","receipt_statement_descriptor":"This will show up on your statement as","receipt_date":"Date","receipt_transaction_id":"Transaction ID","receipt_transaction_amount":"Amount","refund_payer":"Refund from","login":"Log in to manage your payments","manage_payments":"Manage Payments","transactions_title":"Your Transactions","transaction_title":"Transaction Receipt","transaction_period":"Plan Period","arrangements_title":"Your Plans","arrangement_title":"Manage Plan","arrangement_details":"Plan Details","arrangement_id_title":"Plan ID","arrangement_payment_method_title":"Payment Method","arrangement_amount_title":"Plan Amount","arrangement_renewal_title":"Next renewal date","arrangement_action_cancel":"Cancel Plan","arrangement_action_cant_cancel":"Cancelling is currently not available.","arrangement_action_cancel_double":"Are you sure you'd like to cancel?","arrangement_cancelling":"Cancelling Plan...","arrangement_cancelled":"Plan Cancelled","arrangement_failed_to_cancel":"Failed to cancel plan","back_to_plans":"\u2190 Back to Plans","update_payment_method_verb":"Update","sca_auth_description":"Your have a pending renewal payment which requires authorization.","sca_auth_verb":"Authorize renewal payment","sca_authing_verb":"Authorizing payment","sca_authed_verb":"Payment successfully authorized!","sca_auth_failed":"Unable to authorize! Please try again.","login_button_text":"Log in","login_form_has_an_error":"Please check and fix the errors above","uppercase_search":"Search","lowercase_search":"search","uppercase_page":"Page","lowercase_page":"page","uppercase_items":"Items","lowercase_items":"items","uppercase_per":"Per","lowercase_per":"per","uppercase_of":"Of","lowercase_of":"of","back":"Back to plans","zip_code_placeholder":"Zip\/Postal Code","download_file_button_text":"Download File","input_field_instructions":{"tip_amount":{"placeholder_text":"How much would you like to tip?","initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"How much would you like to tip? Choose any currency."},"empty":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"How much would you like to tip? Choose any currency."},"invalid_curency":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Please choose a valid currency."}},"recurring":{"placeholder_text":"Recurring","initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"How often?"},"success":{"instruction_type":"success","instruction_message":"How often?"},"empty":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"How often?"}},"name":{"placeholder_text":"Name on Credit Card","initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Enter the name on your card."},"success":{"instruction_type":"success","instruction_message":"Enter the name on your card."},"empty":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Please enter the name on your card."}},"privacy_policy":{"terms_title":"Terms and conditions","terms_body":null,"terms_show_text":"View Terms","terms_hide_text":"Hide Terms","initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"I agree to the terms."},"unchecked":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Please agree to the terms."},"checked":{"instruction_type":"success","instruction_message":"I agree to the terms."}},"email":{"placeholder_text":"Your email address","initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Enter your email address"},"success":{"instruction_type":"success","instruction_message":"Enter your email address"},"blank":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Enter your email address"},"not_an_email_address":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Make sure you have entered a valid email address"}},"note_with_tip":{"placeholder_text":"Your note here...","initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Attach a note to your tip (optional)"},"empty":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Attach a note to your tip (optional)"},"not_empty_initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Attach a note to your tip (optional)"},"saving":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Saving note..."},"success":{"instruction_type":"success","instruction_message":"Note successfully saved!"},"error":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Unable to save note note at this time. Please try again."}},"email_for_login_code":{"placeholder_text":"Your email address","initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Enter your email to log in."},"success":{"instruction_type":"success","instruction_message":"Enter your email to log in."},"blank":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Enter your email to log in."},"empty":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Enter your email to log in."}},"login_code":{"initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Check your email and enter the login code."},"success":{"instruction_type":"success","instruction_message":"Check your email and enter the login code."},"blank":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Check your email and enter the login code."},"empty":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Check your email and enter the login code."}},"stripe_all_in_one":{"initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Enter your credit card details here."},"empty":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Enter your credit card details here."},"success":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Enter your credit card details here."},"invalid_number":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card number is not a valid credit card number."},"invalid_expiry_month":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's expiration month is invalid."},"invalid_expiry_year":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's expiration year is invalid."},"invalid_cvc":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's security code is invalid."},"incorrect_number":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card number is incorrect."},"incomplete_number":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card number is incomplete."},"incomplete_cvc":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's security code is incomplete."},"incomplete_expiry":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's expiration date is incomplete."},"incomplete_zip":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's zip code is incomplete."},"expired_card":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card has expired."},"incorrect_cvc":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's security code is incorrect."},"incorrect_zip":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's zip code failed validation."},"invalid_expiry_year_past":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's expiration year is in the past"},"card_declined":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card was declined."},"missing":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"There is no card on a customer that is being charged."},"processing_error":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"An error occurred while processing the card."},"invalid_request_error":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Unable to process this payment, please try again or use alternative method."},"invalid_sofort_country":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The billing country is not accepted by SOFORT. Please try another country."}}}},"fetched_oembed_html":false}
![Leonardo da Vinci (Italian, 1452 - 1519 ), Ginevra de' Benci [obverse], c. 1474/1478, oil on panel. Washington, National Gallery, Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund](https://diannedurantewriter.com//wp-content/uploads/2016/01/LeonardoGinevra-CRWNG-A14623.jpg)
