Portrait of a woman
Fine Arts
Inventory number
2018.12.20.5.FA.PA.1836.FRAuthors:
Alexandre FIOCCHI (French, 1803 - ?)Alphonse Giroux et Cie (French, 1799 - 1848)
Description
Aquarelle painting portrait of young woman wearing a gigot sleeved dress and holding a rose. Her hair is decorated with a "ferronnière".Ferronnière is a style of headband, made up of a delicate chain or piece of fabric, that encircles the wearer's forehead, usually with a small jewel suspended in the centre. First emerged in Italy in the 15th century, though no one is sure if it was called a ferronnière at the time or if that name came later. Most accounts claim the ferronnière took its name from the famous portrait, La Belle Ferronnière, painted by Leonardo DA VINCI circa 1495, but the mystery stays - was the portrait called after the jewellery, or was the jewellery caled after the portrait?
The first known use of the word ferronnière as a headpiece wasn’t until 1831. For about fifteen years or so the ferronnière was a fashionable accessory for both day and evening wear, though more often for evening.
Materials
Watercolor on paperWood
Glass
Origin
1836 FranceDimensions
Length : 32.2 cmHeight : 40.2 cm