Thisbeautifullyillustratedandexquisitelydesignedvolumeofpaintings,sculpture,medals,anddrawingscelebratestheextraordinaryfloweringoffemaleportraiture,mainlyinFlorence,beginninginthelatterhalfofthefifteenthcentury.Includedaremanyofthefinestportraitsofwomen(andafewofmen)byFilippoLippi,DomenicoGhirlandaio,AntonioPollaiuolo,Botticelli,Verrocchio,andLeonardodaVinci--whoseremarkabledouble-sidedportraitofGinevrade’Benci,whichdepartsnotablyfromtradition,isthefocusofspecialattention.ItwasinFlorenceduringthisperiodthatportraitureexpandedbeyondtherealmofrulersandtheirconsortstoencompasswomenofthemerchantclass.Thisphenomenon,longknowntoscholars,isherepresentedtoalargeraudienceforthefirsttime.Thecatalogue,whichaccompaniesanexhibitionattheNationalGalleryofArt,traceshowthehumanistpraiseofwomeninfluencedandenlivenedtheirdepiction.Italsoconsidershowmeaningfulcostumesandsettingswerechosen.WorksfromoutsideFlorencebysuchmastersasPisanello,RogiervanderWeyden,andErcoleRobertishedadditionallightontheevolutionoffemaleportraitureduringthecenturyfromc.1440toc.1540.AnintroductionbyeditorandexhibitionorganizerDavidAlanBrownandfourengagingessaysbyotherexpertsonRenaissanceart--DaleKent,JoannaWoods-Marsden,MaryWestermanBulgarellaandRobertaOrsiLandini,andVictoriaKirkham--perfectlycomplementthemorethanonehundredillustrations,whichincludeninety-sevenfull-colorplates.Thecatalogueentriesareconcisewhilerevealingthekeyaspectsofeachportrait--fromstyleandsourcestoongoingscholarlydebates.Thiselegant,enlighteningbookisitselfatellingportraitnotonlyoftheartbutalsoofthebroaderissuesofwomen’sfreedom,responsibility,andindividualityinamostexceptionalera.EXHIBITIONSCHEDULE?NationalGalleryofArt,Washington,D.C.September30,2001-January6,2002
