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拍品專文
This refined bust-length portrait of an unidentified noblewoman exemplifies the meticulous precision and naturalistic sensitivity for which Scipione Pulzone was celebrated in late sixteenth-century Rome. The sitter engages the viewer directly, her softly modeled features enhanced by gently flushed cheeks, coral lips, and expressive, luminous eyes. Her elaborate white lace ruff, sumptuous dark-blue velvet gown richly embroidered with gold thread, and pearl jewelry all attest to her elevated social standing.
Pulzone’s portraiture eschewed the exaggerated stylization of contemporary Roman Mannerism, embracing instead a refined realism indebted to the legacies of Raphael and Titian. His approach was further informed by the international portrait tradition of the Habsburg court, particularly the works of the Flemish painter Anthonis Mor, whose influence is evident in Pulzone's psychological characterization and rich, vibrant palette.
Active mainly in Rome, Pulzone trained under Jacopino del Conte and became a prominent member of the Accademia di San Luca by 1567. According to Giovanni Baglione, Pulzone had no equal in capturing the lifelike presence and exquisite detail of his sitters — qualities superbly demonstrated here in the virtuoso rendering of textile and ornament (G. Baglione, Le Vite de' Pittori, Scultori et Architetti: Dal Pontificato di Gregorio XIII. del 1572 in fino a' tempi di Papa Urbano VIII nel 1642, Rome, 1642, p. 53). Writing in 1584, Raffaello Borghini likewise praised Pulzone as 'very excellent in painting portraits [which] seem to be alive' ('che paiono vivi'), noting that his portraits were sought by 'the most important gentlemen of Rome and all of the beautiful women' ('Signori principali di Roma, e tutte le belle donne'; Il riposo, Florence, 1584, p. 578). The artist's reputation extended throughout Italy, and he received portrait commissions from some of the most eminent ecclesiastical and aristocratic patrons of his time, including Popes Pius V and Gregory XIII, Cardinals Alessandro Farnese and Giovanni Ricci, Ferdinando I de’ Medici, Juana of Austria, Christine of Lorraine, and Marie de’ Medici. His fame also led to prestigious summons to the Aragonese court in Naples in 1584 and later to the Medici court in Florence.
We are grateful to Antonio Vannugli, who previously published the portrait (op. cit.), for endorsing the attribution on the basis of photographs; he proposes a date in the early 1570s (written communication, 28 April 2025).
Pulzone’s portraiture eschewed the exaggerated stylization of contemporary Roman Mannerism, embracing instead a refined realism indebted to the legacies of Raphael and Titian. His approach was further informed by the international portrait tradition of the Habsburg court, particularly the works of the Flemish painter Anthonis Mor, whose influence is evident in Pulzone's psychological characterization and rich, vibrant palette.
Active mainly in Rome, Pulzone trained under Jacopino del Conte and became a prominent member of the Accademia di San Luca by 1567. According to Giovanni Baglione, Pulzone had no equal in capturing the lifelike presence and exquisite detail of his sitters — qualities superbly demonstrated here in the virtuoso rendering of textile and ornament (G. Baglione, Le Vite de' Pittori, Scultori et Architetti: Dal Pontificato di Gregorio XIII. del 1572 in fino a' tempi di Papa Urbano VIII nel 1642, Rome, 1642, p. 53). Writing in 1584, Raffaello Borghini likewise praised Pulzone as 'very excellent in painting portraits [which] seem to be alive' ('che paiono vivi'), noting that his portraits were sought by 'the most important gentlemen of Rome and all of the beautiful women' ('Signori principali di Roma, e tutte le belle donne'; Il riposo, Florence, 1584, p. 578). The artist's reputation extended throughout Italy, and he received portrait commissions from some of the most eminent ecclesiastical and aristocratic patrons of his time, including Popes Pius V and Gregory XIII, Cardinals Alessandro Farnese and Giovanni Ricci, Ferdinando I de’ Medici, Juana of Austria, Christine of Lorraine, and Marie de’ Medici. His fame also led to prestigious summons to the Aragonese court in Naples in 1584 and later to the Medici court in Florence.
We are grateful to Antonio Vannugli, who previously published the portrait (op. cit.), for endorsing the attribution on the basis of photographs; he proposes a date in the early 1570s (written communication, 28 April 2025).