Art History Essay the Portrait of an Old Woman

The Ugly Duchess aka "A Grotesque quondam Woman", 1513 64.2 × 45.v cm. National Gallery, London

The Ugly Duchess (also known as A Grotesque Old Woman ) is a satirical portrait painted by the Flemish artist Quentin Matsys around 1513.

The painting is in oil on an oak console, measures 62.4 by 45.5 cm.^[1] It shows a grotesque old woman with wrinkled skin and withered breasts. She wears the aristocratic horned headdress (Escoffion) of her youth, out of fashion by the fourth dimension of the painting, and holds in her correct hand a red flower, then a symbol of engagement, indicating that she is trying to attract a suitor. Even so, information technology has been described as a bud that will 'likely never blossom'. The work is Matsys' best-known painting.^[2]

The painting was long thought to accept been derived from a putative lost work past Leonardo da Vinci, on the basis of its hitting resemblance to two caricature drawings of heads unremarkably attributed to the Italian artist. Nonetheless the caricatures are now thought to exist based on the work of Matsys, who is known to have exchanged drawings with Leonardo.^[3]

A possible literary influence is Erasmus's essay In Praise of Folly (1511), which satirizes women who "still play the coquette", "cannot tear themselves away from their mirrors" and "do not hesitate to exhibit their repulsive withered breasts".^[2] The adult female has been often identified equally Margaret, Countess of Tyrol, claimed by her enemies to be ugly;^[4] nevertheless, she had died 150 years before.

The painting is in the collection of the National Gallery in London, to which it was bequeathed by Jenny Louisa Roberta Blaker in 1947.^[1] It was originally half of a diptych, with a Portrait of an Old Homo, in the Musée Jacquemart-André, Paris, which was lent to the National Gallery in 2008 for an exhibition in which the ii paintings were hung side by side.^[iii]

The portrait is idea to be a source for John Tenniel's 1869 illustrations of the Duchess in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.^[5]

A 1989 article published in the British Medical Journal speculated that the subject might accept suffered from Paget'due south disease,^[6] in which the victim'due south bones overstate and become deformed. A similar suggestion was made past Michael Baum, emeritus professor of surgery at University Higher London.^[3]

Clarification [edit]

The painting is in oil on an oak panel, measures 62.4 by 45.5 cm.^[7] It shows an old adult female depicted with exaggerated features. She has a brusque nose with upturned flared nostrils. Her upper lip is elongated and her mouth appear thin and pinched. The skin of her cheeks, neck and jaw hang loose on her face. The rest of her pare is wrinkled and pocked, and she has a wart on the right side of her face up. Her thinning hair, concealed by a horned headdress, is swept backside protruding ears. Despite her seemingly "ugly" visage, she wears aristocratic style that is more than relevant to her youth rather than her advanced age. Her clothing is an accommodation of traditional Burgundian mode, popular between 1400 and 1500. By the time Matsys completed this work, in 1513, this manner of dress was already out of fashion. Her wearing apparel, with tightly laced corseted front, pushes her wrinkled breasts up beyond propriety standards for the period. Her shoulders are covered by a white veil, that falls from her horned headdress. It is decorated in roses and ornamented by a large gilded and pearl broach. Her fine, merely out of mode, clothing suggests she was a wealthy adult female. Additionally, she holds a red blossom in her right mitt. At one time a red flower symbolized engagement, or courting.^[seven] With her ugly features and advanced age, this ruby-red bloom just adds to the satirical nature of Matsys's work.

Technical Assay [edit]

Detailed close-up of the ornamental brooch featured in Matsys'southward work, The Ugly Duchess. Shows the fine brushwork and layered colorwork.

The painting technique reflects Matsys himself and is similar to his other work. The paint is worked in many places wet-in-wet and has been dragged and feathered. Matsys popularly used feathering to soften and alloy transitions of tone.^[8] The hair almost the Duchess'due south correct ear and the embroidery on her correct cuff are rendered in sgraffito, a technique washed past scratching through a layer of wet paint to show the underlying layers.^[ix] Matsys accomplished the uneven appearance of her flesh by layering the basic pink with red and white dots in sporadic dashes and blotches. Matsys displays finer attention to detail through his brushwork when looking at the ornamental brooch. In the brooch are at least v shades of brown, orange, pinkish and yellowish to achieve its gilded hue.^[7]

Detailed close-upwards of the horned headdress in Matsys's work, The Ugly Duchess. Produced using the sgraffito method.

Infrared analysis of the painting shows that the face was carefully done, whereas the dress and other elements were freer and more sketchy. For the face, Matsys may have carefully followed a preliminary drawing merely made several changes. He drew the optics twice, moving them slightly higher and to the correct. He then decreased the final appearance of the chin, neck and right ear, visible by comparison the paint to the under drawing. Another change between the under drawing and pigment are the right shoulder and both hands, which were shifted and differently posed.^[7]

Matsys painted the two horns of the headdress by unlike methods. On the right, the horn's stripes were made by sgraffito. He removed the red, white and blueish to reveal the black layer underneath. The horn on the left, Matsys used the reverse method. He applied black paint on meridian of a multicolored layer. Though the piece of work is largely attributed to Quentin Matsys, he did have a collection of administration profitable him. The inconsistencies and changes in method could be attributed to the work of different assistants, or perchance reflect a alter in method from Matsys himself.^{[7] [10]}

Interpretation [edit]

Satire [edit]

The Ugly Duchess has ordinarily been interpreted as a piece of work of satire. The woman depicted is dressed in the finest apparel, and holds a ruby-red flower that symbolizes date. She is fit to represent youth, simply her grotesque appearance makes that impossible. Scholars today consider this Matsys's try to satirize material culture. Especially preying on the elderly or those obsessed with maintaining an youthful advent. Her appearance prompts the audition to consider the relationship between internal and external beauty. Externally, based on her exquisite dress, jeweled accessories, and budding flower, this woman was theoretically beautiful. However, her internal beauty is reflected in her exaggerated and displeasing physical advent.^[11] Refer besides to Erasmus's essay In Praise of Folly (1511), which satirizes women who "yet play the coquette", "cannot tear themselves away from their mirrors" and "do not hesitate to showroom their repulsive withered breasts".^{[12] [xiii]} With the completion engagement estimated to be 1513 for The Ugly Duchess it is highly likely that Erasmus's essay influenced Matsys's production.

Medical Condition: Paget'south Disease [edit]

In 1877 Sir James Paget observed a medical disorder where the basic became inflamed and malformed. He formally coined the status "osteitis deformans," but by the end of the century it became known equally Paget's Disease.^[14] Though formal identification of the disease did not exist until 1877, there are accounts that suggest its been around for far longer. Scholars at present are using The Ugly Duchess to prove that the disease existed as early as the 16th century. A 1989 article published in the British Medical Journal and emeritus professor of surgery at Academy College London, Michael Baum besides offer speculation on the Duchess's diagnosis with Paget's.^[15] While much of the discussion concerning Paget's disease focuses on the physical representation of the condition, scholar Sarah Newman suggests that the portrait as well provides cultural insight into how inability was viewed in the sixteenth century. She argues that the portrait reflects a cultural transition from an before model of disability, where it was typically depicted exclusively every bit farthermost or aberrant, to a more familiar model, ane which depicts individuals engaged in daily commercial or personal activities that exercise not strike the viewer as exceptionally abnormal.^[xvi] Newman's study contributes to understanding Matsys and the broader Dutch emblematic and portraiture traditions, and shows the value of historic representations in the broader study of disability. Historian Gretchen E. Henderson'southward volume Ugliness: A Cultural History follows a like line of discussion, simply focuses on the interpretation of disability in artwork. Henderson presents the thought that focusing on disability the interpretation of The Ugly Duchess becomes more sympathetic rather than a study in satire.^[17] As a sufferer of Paget's disease, the woman no longer appears the fool holding a red blossom that volition never bloom, but a victim of unfortunate circumstances. These alternative interpretations rely on the assumption that Matsys used a live model for this portrait. While many possible identities have been suggested for the woman, none are convincing.

Influence [edit]

Quentin Matsys and Leonardo Da Vinci [edit]

In 1490, Leonardo da Vinci created a series of sketches he called Grotesque Heads. Included in that series was a sketch that looked remarkably similar to Matsys's Ugly Duchess. With the earlier creation date there is some argue every bit to who the original creator is. It is well known that Matsys and da Vinci corresponded and shared work during their careers. When the Duchess was completed, many attributed its influence to the work of da Vinci since he already had a collection of caricature heads. Still, when considering the under drawing and primary sketches beneath the paint, scholars now believe that Matsys had created the Duchess long before the portraits completion. The at present popular theory is that Matsys sent da Vinci an early sketch that and then inspired the Italian artist to copy the exaggerated form of the woman's grotesque features.^[15]

John Tenniel's illustration in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland [edit]

Many scholars today believe that Matsys influenced John Tenniel's illustration of the Duchess in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Author Lewis Carroll did not explicitly depict the Duchess'southward face in his book. Carroll described the character in chapter 9, stating "Alice did non much like keeping then close to her: first, considering the Duchess was very ugly; and secondly, because she was exactly the right meridian to rest her chin upon Alice's shoulder, and it was an uncomfortably sharp chin."^[xviii] Rather than finding inspiration in Carroll'due south writing, Tenniel turned to the portrait of The Ugly Duchess. There are differences, Tenniel softened some of the harshness institute in Matsys'due south work. Tenniel'due south Duchess has a lower headdress, and the big ears, leathery neck and breasts prominent in the original portrait, are concealed. Tenniel presents an ugly woman, but not a frightening one. She volition upset children, much similar the ane she is belongings in the illustration, only she will not scare them like her predecessor.^[19]

Provenance [edit]

Completed in 1513 as half of a diptych, with a Portrait of an Onetime Homo. The portraits were at one bespeak separated and fell into private collections. In 1920 The Ugly Duchess appeared at auction in New York City, New York.^[17] Later, in 1947, Jenny Louisa Roberta Blaker ancestral the portrait to The National Gallery in London where information technology remains today.^[seven]

Gallery [edit]

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References [edit]

1. ^ ^{a b} "Quinten Massys An Old Woman (The Ugly Duchess)". The National Gallery. Archived from the original on 22 Oct 2012. Retrieved eleven October 2012.
2. ^ ^{a b} Grössinger, Christa (1997). Picturing women in late Medieval and Renaissance art. Manchester: Manchester University Press. p. 136. ISBN0-7190-4109-0.
3. ^ ^{a b c} Brownish, Mark (2008-10-11). "Solved: mystery of The Ugly Duchess - and the Da Vinci connection". The Guardian . Retrieved 2012-04-xxx .
4. ^ "SELL UGLIEST PORTRAIT.; Moving-picture show of Duchess Brings 880 Guineas at Christie's". New York Times. 1920-01-24. Retrieved 2012-04-30 .
5. ^ Gardner, Martin, ed. (1960). The Annotated Alice. New York: Bramhall Firm. p. 82.
6. ^ Dequeker, J. (23 December 1989). "Paget'southward illness in a painting by Quinten Metsys (Massys)". British Medical Journal. 299 (6715): 1579–1581. doi:10.1136/bmj.299.6715.1579. PMC1838767. PMID 2514922.
7. ^ ^{a b c d eastward f} "Quinten Massys An Erstwhile Woman (The Ugly Duchess)". The National Gallery. Archived from the original on 22 October 2012. Retrieved 11 October 2012.
8. ^ Argent, Larry, 1947- (1984). The paintings of Quinten Massys with catalogue raisonné. Metsys, Quentin, 1465 or 1466-1530. Montclair, N.J.: Allanheld & Schram. ISBN0-8390-0322-6. OCLC 10532905. {{cite volume}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
9. ^ "Sgraffito | fine art". Encyclopedia Britannica . Retrieved 2020-10-26 .
10. ^ Leap, Marika (2017-09-19). "New insights into the materials of fifteenth- and sixteenth-century Netherlandish paintings in the National Gallery, London". Heritage Science. five (1): twoscore. doi:x.1186/s40494-017-0152-iii. ISSN 2050-7445.
11. ^ Shaffer, Katie. "The Ugly Duchess past Quentin Massys - An analysis".
12. ^ Grössinger, Christa (1997). Picturing women in late Medieval and Renaissance art. Manchester: Manchester University Press. p. 136. ISBN0-7190-4109-0.
13. ^ The Oxford dictionary of fine art and artists. Chilvers, Ian. (Fourth ed.). Oxford. 2009. ISBN978-0-19-953294-0. OCLC 269433597. {{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
14. ^ Galea, Grand.; Cannataci, C.; Azzopardi, C.; Mizzi, A.; Cortis, K. (2016-03-02). "Paget'southward disease of the bone - Imaging the appendicular skeleton". ECR 2016 EPOS . Retrieved 2020-10-27 .
15. ^ ^{a b} Brown, Marking (2008-10-11). "Solved: mystery of The Ugly Duchess - and the Da Vinci connectedness". The Guardian . Retrieved 2012-04-xxx .
16. ^ Newman, Sara (2014). "Portrait of Sixteenth-Century Disability? Quentin Matsys'due south A Grotesque Old Adult female". The Review of Inability Studies. hdl:10125/58604. ISSN 1552-9215.
17. ^ ^{a b} Henderson, Gretchen E. (2015-eleven-15). Ugliness: A Cultural History. Reaktion Books. ISBN978-i-78023-560-viii.
18. ^ "The Projection Gutenberg eBook of Alice'southward Adventures in Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll". world wide web.gutenberg.org . Retrieved 2020-eleven-17 .
19. ^ "The Ugly Duchess: She was everything a woman wasn't supposed to be - ProQuest". search.proquest.com . Retrieved 2020-11-17 .

External links [edit]

• "An Old Woman ('The Ugly Duchess')". The National Gallery, London. Retrieved 2012-04-30 .

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Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ugly_Duchess

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