Porträt der Caterina Sagredo Barbarigo

This 1741 pastel portraying Caterina Sagredo Barbarigo is one of at least two versions of this subject by Rosalba Carriera — the 1737 Dresden pastel and this undated or 1741 version without a recorded collection. The Sagredo Barbarigo family's repeated appearance in Carriera's work suggests either sustained patronage or the artist's personal connection with Caterina. By 1741 Carriera was in her late sixties and her eyesight was seriously compromised, making this among her latest known works. The question of whether this is a distinct sitting or a variant after the earlier portrait is unresolved. Caterina Sagredo Barbarigo also appears in at least one costume portrait (as Berenice) also attributed to Carriera from 1741, suggesting a concentrated period of engagement between artist and sitter in the early 1740s, perhaps motivated by awareness that Carriera's working life was approaching its end.

Late Carriera pastels show a slight loosening of the precise blending that characterises her middle period — not loss of quality but a different approach, perhaps compensating for diminished visual acuity with bolder, more confident stroke placement. The characterisation remains perceptive, focusing on the essentials of the face rather than the details of dress.