Ask the Scholar

This unidentified, fashionably dressed lady wishes to be represented, above all, as a student of ancient culture. On the table next to a sheet of music is a cabinet with casts of ancient carved gems, which were often collected along with-or instead of-the actual gems; for the serious student, even one such as the sitter who is armed with a magnifying glass, casts bring out details that hard to see in the original carving. Also, they could be duplicated as a set for those with scholarly interests but without the means to acquire the originals. In addition, the lady wears a portrait miniature of a gentleman (her deceased husband, father, or teacher?). The portrait is painted in the new neoclassical style, which emphasizes clearly delineated forms.For more information on this portrait, please see Federico Zeri's 1976 catalogue no. 428, pp. 539-540.