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Source Description
Ginevra Aldrovandi's husband, the Bolognese senator Ercole Hercolani, died in 1593. Her elaborate mourning costume-with costly brocade, lace, and pearls-indicates her high social status. She holds a handkerchief, suggesting the tears she shed at her husband's death. The lapdog is her pet, but it also carries symbolic significance. During the 16th century, a widow who did not re-marry, staying faithful to her husband's memory, was often compared to a dog that was faithful to its master.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
13056
label
Portrait of Ginevra Aldrovandi Hercolani
core
obj
dtoType
drawing
citationUrl
pageCount
4
Source metadata
id
13056
sourceUrl
contentType
drawing
stage
normalized
title
Portrait of Ginevra Aldrovandi Hercolani
description
Ginevra Aldrovandi's husband, the Bolognese senator Ercole Hercolani, died in 1593. Her elaborate mourning costume-with costly brocade, lace, and pearls-indicates her high social status. She holds a handkerchief, suggesting the tears she shed at her husband's death. The lapdog is her pet, but it also carries symbolic significance. During the 16th century, a widow who did not re-marry, staying faithful to her husband's memory, was often compared to a dog that was faithful to its master.
provenance
Hercolani Collection, Bologna [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Don Marcello Massarenti Collection, Rome, prior to 1881[mode of acquisition unknown] [1881 catalogue: no. 194; 1897 catalogue: no. 180]; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1902, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
date
ca. 1595 (Renaissance)
citationUrl
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
genreSpecific
Painting & Drawing
oil paintings (visual works)
portraits
imageCount
4
pageCount
4
source
import
dimensions
units
cm
width
114.6
height
94.6
dimensionsRaw
Painted Surface H: 45 1/8 × W: 37 1/4 in. (114.62 × 94.62 cm); Framed H: 54 1/4 × W: 46 1/4 × D: 2 3/8 in. (137.8 × 117.48 × 6.03 cm)
Source extras
med
oil on canvas
creator_ids
4069
collection_ids
REN
exhibition_ids
116
2660
3048
3684
Page inventory
seq
1
type
photo
mediaId
471cef9689c4feed
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
2
type
photo
mediaId
7a65797fda1794da
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
3
type
photo
mediaId
58bbed5ff5919306
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
4
type
photo
mediaId
f3a83b912b171e87
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no