Berenice

Berenice, dated around 1650 and in the Sforza Castle in Milan, depicts a subject from ancient history or mythology — Berenice was a name shared by several historical figures including a queen of Egypt and a Jewish princess mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles. In Baroque painting, Berenice subjects often depicted her as a figure of sacrifice or devotion — the most famous Berenice legend involved a queen who cut off her hair as a vow for her husband's safe return, and the hair was placed among the stars as the constellation Coma Berenices. Strozzi's treatment, in the Sforza Castle collection, would have engaged this tradition of feminine sacrifice and devotion through the warm, characterful figure painting of his Venetian maturity.

Canvas with Strozzi's late Venetian technique — broad, confident brushwork in drapery, careful modelling in the face. The figure's hair, if the subject is the legendary Berenice, would be depicted in the moment before or after its sacrificial cutting. The palette remains warm, consistent with Strozzi's characteristic chromatic world.