Prospero Fontana

(Bologna 1509–1597)
Portrait of a lady, half-length, wearing a black dress and resting her hand on a basket,
oil on panel, 58 x 45.5 cm, framed

Provenance:
Private collection, London;
European art market;
where acquired by the present owner

Exhibited:
Bologna, Pinacoteca Nazionale, Il Gesto e la Memoria. Ritratti a Bologna nella seconda metà del Cinquecento, 2000, cat. no. 2

Literature:
A. Stanzani, in: Il Gesto e la Memoria. Ritratti a Bologna nella seconda metà del Cinquecento, exhibition catalogue, Bologna 2000, p. 57, no. 2, illustrated p. 29, fig. 2, p. 10 (as Attributed to Prospero Fontana);
V. Fortunati Pietrantonio, Per la storia del ritratto a Bologna nel Cinquecento: aggiunte a Prospero Fontana e a Bartolomeo Passerotti, in: D. Lenzi (ed.), Arti a confronto. Studi in onore di Anna Maria Matteucci, Bologna 2004, p. 147, p. 149 under note 10, illustrated p. XLII, pl. 103 (as Prospero Fontana);
A. Ugolini, Repertorio della pittura a Bologna. 1460/1580, Monza 2022, p. 119 (as Prospero Fontana);
G. Daniele, Prospero Fontana. ‘Pictor Bononiensis’ (1509–1597), Rome 2022, p. 177, no. D70, illustrated p. 143, tav. 120 (as Prospero Fontana).

The present portrait depicts a lady seated on a chair with wide armrests, dressed in an austere yet refined black gown, adorned with a ‘Mary Stuart’ collar. With her right hand, delicately placed just below her chest, she appears to draw attention to an elegant ring, while her left hand rests on a small wicker basket – perhaps containing sewing equipment – positioned on a table covered with a green cloth. The young woman’s complexion, luminous and ethereal, is enlivened by the rosy hue of her cheeks, while her broad forehead and intense, enigmatic gaze are directed towards the viewer. The painting conveys the image of the woman within a domestic setting, achieving a striking balance between psychological introspection and formal rigor.

Prospero Fontana’s ability to capture the subject’s inner nuances without resorting to decorative excesses is fully evident in this work, where compositional simplicity and the absence of ostentation contribute to a more penetrating depiction of the sitter’s individuality. This work has been dated to around 1570 – a period in which the artist, following his Florentine and Roman experiences, developed a mature stylistic synthesis. Prospero Fontana’s exceptional talent earned him widespread recognition, as evidenced by the prestigious commissions he received, including his collaboration with Giorgio Vasari in the workshop of Palazzo Vecchio in Florence and his enduring relationship with Pope Julius III. Luigi Lanzi, in his Storia pittorica dell’Italia, wrote that ‘his greatest reputation derived from his skill in portraiture […] and he was regarded as one of the finest portraitists of his time’ (see L. Lanzi, Florence 1968–1974, vol. III, p. 33).

The present painting bears close affinities with the Portrait of a Noblewoman (Montepulciano, Museo Civico, inv. no. 72/1971) and the Portrait of a Lady in Green (Bologna, Museo Davia Bargellini, inv. no. 0387), sharing with them formal solutions and painterly quality. Similarities can also be found in the Portrait of a Cardinal, currently conserved at the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena (inv. no. F.1968.11.07.P).