French ambassador's wife in Oriental Costume.

Annette Comtesse de Vergennes, in Oriental Costume.
Antoine de Favray, 18th century

Wikipedia recomends this lovely portrait of a French ambassador's wife, again in Oriental costume. The first thing that catches my attention is her creamy skin and pearl jewelry, but I soon notice the round waist... and then the foreshortened leg and slipper peeking from under her dress! An ambiguous portrait and the composure implies disarray, but beautiful nonetheless.

Turkish Women

Turkish Women
Antoine de Favray, 1754
From One Year One Painting a Day.

A minor french painter noted for his portraits of the Ottoman Empire. I have a hard time believing that these are actual Turkish women; I find it more likely that he's found French women who want to indulge in Oriental fantasies. Again notice the delicate pointed fingers plaiting the central woman's hair, and the strait noses they all share.

Portrait: Bianca Cappello de Medici

Bianca Cappello de Medici
Lavinia Fontana, 16th century Italy
From One Year One Painting a Day

One wonders how long she had to stand for this portrait. The boy apparently wouldn't stay put for long, because his face is rather more sketched. I also find it interesting that 16th century hands are always delicate and arching, regardless of body structure. The wiki entry linked above has a slimmer portrait from Bianca's youth, which offers an interesting contrast.


Gravin de Pagès as St. Catherine

Gravin de Pagès, née de Cornellan, as St. Catherine 
Joseph-Désiré Court, 1850
Found at french-painters.blogspot.com

For me, this one's curious because it's a married woman posing as the 14th-century St. Catherine. Why? Did she choose this or did someone suggest this? Did she particularly admire St. Catherine? Was this her saint name? A serious, studious portrait, but very well laid-out.  

Amelia Opie

Amelia Opie
by John Opie, 1798

Maternité (Sabbagh)

Maternité
Georges Hanna Sabbagh, 1919

Christ and The Woman of Samaria

from Christ and The Woman of Samaria
Guercino, c.1620

The Reader

The Reader
Édouard Vuillard, 19th century

In the Sun (1953)

In the Sun
Alexander Nikolayevich Samokhvalov, 1953

The Wet Nurse

The Wet Nurse
Willem Bartel van der Kooi, 19th century

Judith with the Head of Holofernes

Judith with the Head of Holofernes
Caravaggio

The Love Letter

The Love Letter
Thomas Sully, 19th century

Head of A Young Girl (Quentin)


Head of A Young Girl 
Maurice Quentin, 18th century

Penitent Magdalene

The Penitent Magdalene 
Giovanni Maria Viani, 17th century

Erythraean Sibyl

from Erythraean Sibyl 
Lorenzo Pasinelli, 17th century

Reading Girl

Reading Girl
Franz Eybl, 1850

Younger but still charming. Many thanks again to Laurie for collecting this and surrounding paintings....

Mrs. Duffee Seated on a Striped Sofa Reading

Mrs. Duffee Seated on a Striped Sofa Reading
"Young Woman Reading"
Mary Cassatt, 1876

There's a Cassatt on display at the Texas A&M Forsyth Galleries where my colleague Rachael works; check out more on the gallery blog here

Nu hublot

Nu hublot
Georges Hanna Sabbagh, 20th century