Italian school; third third third of the XVIII century.

Italian school; third third third of the eighteenth century.
"Portrait of a lady".
Oil on canvas. Relined.
Measurements: 80 x 63 cm.
Female portrait in which the author presents a middle-aged lady, who wears a sumptuous costume with wide boat neckline. The smooth qualities of the skin and the slight flush of the cheeks harmonize with the rest, leaving no room for detail with precise pictorial touches. The dark background enhances the figure and the elegance of her attire, the large drapery usual in this type of compositions adds sumptuousness to the scene while adding depth and three-dimensionality to the space in which the protagonist stands. The lady looks directly at the viewer with a faint smile, but without losing a regal and haughty attitude. In a flirtatious way she holds a flower next to her chest. This attitude shows the artist's interest in capturing the personality of the sitter.
The portrait genre was especially popular during the Rococo period. This female portrait is ascribed to the rococo taste for extracting the right qualities of the clothes and giving the flesh a delicate ivory. The lady rests her right arm on a velvet cushion. The painter skillfully captures the materials and the garments: the navy blue velvet of the dress, the pink of the satin, its lace and piping finishes, the powdered headdress in the aristocratic fashion of the time and the pearl and gold appliqués hanging from her dress.