Art Institute of Chicago

Portrait of a Noblewoman Dressed in Mourning

Jacopo da Empoli (Jacopo Chimenti; Italian, 1551–1640)

Date

c. 1600

Medium

Oil on canvas

Culture

Italy

Department

Painting and Sculpture of Europe

Institution

Art Institute of Chicago

The subject of this imposing portrait is unknown today. Her black costume and traditional mourning veil indicate her status as an aristocratic widow, while the prominent crucifix refers to her piety, as does the small prayer book in her hand. The woman is nearly life-size and framed by a dramatic black curtain, conventions in portraiture of the nobility across Europe at the time. In the decades around 1600, the Medici dukes of Florence intermarried with the ruling houses of Europe, and their court artists and work-shops helped establish an international style that appealed to princely and aristocratic collectors.

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