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Portrait of a Prelate

ca. 1580
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 640
Fontana was the most famous woman artist of her day, known above all for her portraits. This roundel’s minuscule scale required impressive control and tight paint handling, evident in the protruding veins of the man’s hand, the stitching and lace, and the shadows on the book. She used tiny brushstrokes that are barely perceptible, except in the beard, where deliberately distinct lines lend verisimilitude and animate the face.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Portrait of a Prelate
  • Artist: Lavinia Fontana (Italian, Bologna 1552–1614 Rome)
  • Date: ca. 1580
  • Medium: Oil on copper
  • Dimensions: Diameter 5 1/2 in. (14 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: Bequest of Millie Bruhl Fredrick, 1962
  • Object Number: 62.122.141
  • Curatorial Department: European Paintings

More Artwork

More Artwork
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Portrait of a Man, Lavinia Fontana Italian, Oil on wood panel, Italian
Returned to lender
Portrait of a Man
Lavinia Fontana
Portrait of a Woman, Lavinia Fontana Italian, Oil on wood panel, Italian
Returned to lender
Portrait of a Woman
Lavinia Fontana
Madonna and Child, Luca Signorelli (Luca d'Egidio di Luca di Ventura) Italian, Oil and gold on wood
Madonna and Child
Luca Signorelli (Luca d'Egidio di Luca di Ventura)
ca. 1505–7
Madonna and Child, Vincenzo Foppa Italian, Tempera, oil, and gold on wood
Madonna and Child
Vincenzo Foppa
ca. 1480
Madonna and Child, Giovanni Bellini Italian, Oil on wood
Madonna and Child
Giovanni Bellini
late 1480s

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