Portrait of a Woman
1540
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1540
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
You see a woman in a black dress with a white ruff collar, her face lit softly against a dark, smooth background. Corneille de Lyon painted tiny portraits—some no bigger than a playing card. He worked in France but kept the fine, precise style of his Dutch roots. The smooth background looks almost like polished enamel, making the face pop. If you like this quiet, detailed look, check out other works by Corneille de Lyon (Netherlandish, 1500/10–1574).
