Stefanina Primicile Carafa, Marchioness of Cicerale and Duchess of Montejasi
1875
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1875
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
This is a portrait of an older woman in a black dress, sitting stiffly in a chair. Her hands rest in her lap, and her face looks tired. Degas painted this while visiting family in Naples. The woman is his aunt, a duchess, but she’s not wearing jewels or fancy clothes—just a plain mourning dress. Family letters say she was once playful, but here she seems worn down by life. If you like quiet portraits like this, look up *chiaroscuro*—the way artists use light and shadow to shape a face.
