Portrait of a Girl
Piero del Pollaiuolo·1470
Historical Context
Piero del Pollaiuolo painted this Portrait of a Girl around 1470, one of the finest examples of the Renaissance profile portrait genre that flourished in Florence during the mid-fifteenth century. The sitter's identity is uncertain, though her costly attire suggests she belongs to a wealthy Florentine family. The profile format, derived from ancient Roman coins and medals, was the dominant mode of portraiture in Florence until the 1470s, when the three-quarter view introduced from the Netherlands gradually supplanted it.
Technical Analysis
The painting exemplifies the Florentine profile portrait tradition with its crisp linear contour and decorative attention to costume details. Piero renders the sitter's elaborate hairstyle and pearl-studded headdress with jeweler's precision, while the flat background concentrates attention on the refined silhouette.
