Lucia Bonasoni Garzoni
c. 1590
Lavinia Fontana, a pioneering female artist in 16th-century Bologna, captures Lucia Bonasoni Garzoni in a display of Mannerist elegance. Dressed in a sumptuous black gown with intricate gold embroidery and a stiff white ruff, Lucia poses with a handkerchief, while a lute and sheet music in the background hint at her musical refinement. The inscription in the upper right proudly announces her age as 38 ('Anno Aetatis Suae XXXVIII'), grounding this figure in a specific moment of time. A tiny ermine brooch on her chest symbolizes purity, a common motif for noblewomen of the era, showcasing Fontana's skill in blending personal identity with symbolic status.
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