Artwork
Portrait of a Woman
Portrait of a Woman is an oil painting by the Northern Renaissance artist Master of the Holy Kinship the Elder. It dates from 1493 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
About this work
Technique & Style
The work titled Portrait of a Woman, attributed to the Master of the Holy Kinship the Elder, is an oil painting executed on a wooden panel.
The work titled Portrait of a Woman, attributed to the Master of the Holy Kinship the Elder, is an oil painting executed on a wooden panel. According to catalog records, the support is a panel measuring approximately 30.3 cm in height by 21.3 cm in width, produced in Germany around 1485. The painting is executed in oil paint, a medium typical of early Netherlandish portraiture, and is classified as a portrait genre work.
The sitter is a woman, though specific details regarding the artist’s handling, current condition, or precise stylistic analysis are not documented in the available sources.
History & Provenance
Portrait of a Woman is attributed to the Master of the Holy Kinship the Elder and was executed in 1485 in Germany, employing oil paint on panel. The work measures roughly 30.3 × 21.3 cm and depicts a solitary female sitter, aligning with the portrait genre. Following its creation, the painting entered the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art, where it remains on public display.
Documentary records indicate no earlier owners prior to its acquisition by the museum, and the attribution has been consistently maintained in the museum’s catalogues.
Overview
This oil painting, titled Portrait of a Woman, was created in 1493 by an artist known as the Master of the Holy Kinship the Elder. The work is a singular depiction of an unidentified woman. It is currently part of the collection at The Cleveland Museum of Art, where it offers insight into late 15th-century portraiture.
Subject & Meaning
The painting features a woman presented with a serious expression, her hair concealed by a white cap. She wears a dark garment, which contrasts with the vibrant red beads she holds in her hands. A small coin is also visible, clutched carefully.
Behind her, a richly patterned fabric in tones of yellow, green, and brown provides a decorative backdrop, emphasizing her presence.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Master of the Holy Kinship the Elder
The Master of the Holy Kinship the Elder was an anonymous German painter active in Cologne in the early fifteenth century, roughly between 1410 and 1440.
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