Jan Van Gelder, Portrait of Duchess Vittoria Farnese d'Este, 1670, Oil on Canvas, Framed

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Jan van gelder, italianized giovanni vangheldri (antwerp 1621 – modena 1685)

portrait of duchess vittoria farnese d'este (parma, 1618 – … Read more Jan van gelder, italianized giovanni vangheldri (antwerp 1621 – modena 1685)

portrait of duchess vittoria farnese d'este (parma, 1618 – modena, 1649),
wife of francesco i d'este, duke of modena and reggio

oil on canvas (72 x 55 cm - in an antique frame 92 x 77 cm)

elegant portrait of duchess vittoria farnese, daughter of ranuccio i farnese, duke of parma and piacenza, and his wife, and margherita aldobrandini, granddaughter of giovanni francesco aldobrandini, prince of rossano, and pope clement viii.

the illustrious lady portrayed was married to francesco i d'este, duke of modena and reggio, and the sumptuous wedding, held in parma in 1648, was celebrated in the poems of the great poets of the time, including giuliano cassiani and flaminio calvi. During the celebrations, the ballet "la vittoria d'imeneo," written by the composer benedetto ferrari in their honor, was performed.

the author immortalizes the noblewoman in half-length and three-quarter length, wearing an elegant dark gown adorned with several strands of pearls, presented with a proud yet kind expression, as was the tradition of the time: during her reign, she earned the respect of her subjects for her piety and generosity.

the painting, created in the first half of the 17th century, can be attributed to an artist close to the painter justus sustermans (1597–1681), a flemish portraitist known for his portraits of members of the medici family, for whom he became court painter, and of the este family.

in particular, our painting is attributable to jan van gelder (antwerp 1621–modena 1685), the first grandson of justus sustermans. Modena himself invited him to join his workshop in 1649, officially taking on the role of copyist of the portraits of the este princes to be sent to other courts for diplomatic purposes.

van gelder also served the court under the duchy of francis ii, and the este inventories list numerous
works by him. Van gelder also made copies of several portraits by sustermans, including vittoria farnese d'este, now in the palazzo ducale in modena (image 1 https://catalogo.beniculturali.it/detail/historicorartisticproperty/0800270782). We should also mention the work in the private collection of the banca popolare dell'emilia romagna, which could easily be attributed to van gelder himself (image 2 https://www.lagalleriabper.it/collezioni/ritratto-di-vittoria-farnese/).

this type of work, often replicated on multiple occasions, served to reveal the features of rulers and was donated by them to their subjects as a sign of special favor or sent as a sign of friendship to members of other royal families.

additional information:

the work sold comes with a certificate of authenticity and guarantee. This piece is attributed to the mentioned designer/maker. It has no attribution mark and no
official proof of authenticity,
however it is well documented in design history. I take full responsibility for any authenticity



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