A Man and his Wife
Artist: Italian 16th Century Artist (Italian, not listed)
Original Dimensions: 25 3/4" x 29"
Location: National Gallery of Art, London
About Artwork: (Mid-1540s) "This portrait of an unknown husband and wife is unusually intimate. The costumes have been dated to the mid-1540s. It was rare at the time for a man to be depicted with his hand resting on his wife’s shoulder. It was also slightly unusual for a woman to be shown on her husband’s right-hand side, which was regarded as the position of honour. The lady is standing before a fruiting lemon tree, perhaps symbolising fertility, and holding a pink carnation, which was a flower associated with betrothals. The picture is badly damaged, so it is difficult to tell who painted it. The portrait came from a collection in Ferrara and may have been made in North Italy, but perhaps by a Flemish rather than an Italian artist. The costumes are provincial from northern Italy and suggest that it is not Venetian." - (National Gallery of Art, London)

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