This fascinating painting, which probably dates to the early 1440s, was a landmark in European portraiture. The curious boxlike space both suggests a domestic setting and allows the artist to insert a second profile portrait—so deep in space that the figures' gazes will never meet. The picture may commemorate an engagement or a marriage: The woman (possibly Angiola di Bernardo Sapiti) is luxuriously dressed alla francese ("in the French mode"). The innovative landscape viewed through the window was inspired by Lippi's knowledge of Netherlandish painting. The shadow cast by the man (Lorenzo di Ranieri Scolari?) recalls the ancient tale of the origins of painting, which occurred when a woman traced the outlines of the shadow cast by her lover on a wall. Lippi's art is filled with such poetic conceits. Works such as this one left an indelible impression on Fra Carnevale.

cat. no. 4