Portrait of a Lady with a Rabbit
Historical Context
Ridolfo del Ghirlandaio painted this Portrait of a Lady with a Rabbit around 1508 in Florence. The rabbit may symbolize fertility or fidelity, suggesting a marriage portrait. Ridolfo combined his father Domenico's naturalistic tradition with softer influences from Leonardo and Raphael. The tempera-on-panel medium required a carefully gessoed surface and was painted in fine, precise layers, yielding a luminous, jewel-like surface of great durability.
Technical Analysis
Oil on panel with refined Florentine technique and warm coloring. The symbolic rabbit and the sitter's elegant costume are rendered with the descriptive precision of the Ghirlandaio tradition.
