Susan wrote:

> Ooh, cool!  No, I haven't.  What can you tell me
> about the book?

Storia del costume in Italia by Rosita Levi Pisetzky.
Volume 3 or 4, IIRC. Milano : Istituto editoriale
italiano, 1964-1969

I can't wait to see if you can track down
> a color copy!

Me too! It would help clarify an awful lot.

Robin wrote:

> No clues, but something doesn't feel right about the
> portrait; the face
> seems Victorian. It may be a later copy, or perhaps
> if this is an older
> book (pre-photography), it is an engraving intended
> to show the painting.

It *is* attributed, so it may be possible. I don't
think it an engraving though.

> I can't tell from the online version whether it is
> an engraving, but that
> should be obvious from the book itself. 

It looks pretty much the same. The paper is typical
glossy print. None of the other paintings in this tome
are engraved; they are all originals, to the best of
my knowledge. On another list I posted this request
to, someone said the caption below it discussed mostly
jewellry. She offered to translate it for me, which
I'll take her up on and see just what it's referring
to this painting for.

At best it is
> indeed c. 1540, and
> just an unusual style for the time.

I have found pretty much the same stuff as the others
whom had responded, and apparently he had done another
court painting of note. I'd very much like to find a
larger image of that painting and compare the artist
styles, even if to satisfy myself that his style is
simply unique.

Cynthia wrote:

> That would be my guess -- a tantalizing lead for the
> real painting. 
> What marvelous sleeves!

Yes! That is what caught my attention. That and the
rather unsual flat front bodice that appears to run
down the length of the gown, yet the hips are clearly
fuller. I'm still trying to wrap my head around the
engineering of this silhouette based on contemporary
styles from other paintings. 

De wrote:

> Probably because it is Giovanni Bahuet in which many
> of his paintings are in
> a private collection in Mantua.

I just wish they had a few more in an online gallery
for comparative purposes.

> "Another type of ceremonial costume is Vincenzo
> Gonzaga's attire for his
> 1587 coronation as Duke of Mantua....

Having done a dig on Gonzaga I finally found a pic of
that painting large enough to get a general feel for
his style - it seems relative. And since this painting
is solidly dated... well, *shrug*
http://www.kingstudio.it/pagine%20Abiti%20ricostriti/vincenzo-abito.htm
http://www.sapere.it/tca/minisite/arte/nonsolomostre/images/tramaoro5.jpg
It's interesting that they used Bahuet's painting as
being more correct than Reubens' work. However it's
important to note that the painting I am searching for
and this one are nearly 40 years apart and his style
may have evolved. They seem reasonably close at this
point though.
I found this too, for anyone interested in a complete
series of costumes made based on Gonzaga's marriage
portrait:
www.a-mantova.com/News/kingstudio.html
It looks like the Toledo repro is in there too. For
some reason this collection looks suspiciously
familiar.

E House wrote:

> http://www.mantovaducale.it/eng_museo.htm
> I couldn't find any info about it on their English
> site (couldn't get the 
> Italian version to load) but it couldn't hurt to try
> emailing/writing them.

Absolutely. I had found this too, but my only
reservation is that in the past I have had extremely
poor luck getting a reply to any of my queries in
Italy. I have tried on repeated occasions to locate
items, ask more information on a painting, all
answered with silence. Most frustrating. Not that I
won't bang my head yet again against this particular
Italian wall...

Becky wrote:
The artist is also knows as Giovanni
> Bahuet, a Renaissance 
> painter. 

The thing I find most odd about this is that this
painter apparently worked in Gonzaga's court his
entire career. My first thought was this was a woman
from Vincenzo's childhood - his mother's court, but
that isn't possible since his mother was Eleonora von
Habsburg, from what I can find she is from the
Viennese branch (looks like she was born in Wien?). 
*does a little rummaging*
Ohhhhh.... I know who the Isabella is they are talking
about. It's great-great grandma, Isabella d'Este
(1474-1539), married to Francesco II Gonzaga
(1466-1519). This puts this painting, and the rather
young woman sitter right at the very last days of
Isabella's life.
Moreover, the painter's last name rings familiar to
French, not Italian. And if he did such notable
sitters, why does this painter not exist historically
in his own right? He must've seriously annoyed someone
to have been this well erased from history.
Having read over the history of the mantova ducale, it
mentions that a good portion of the paintings they
have are not at all related to the history of the
palace since Vincenzo II spent Mantua into oblivion.
Now that I found the Isabella connection, it is indeed
related, it just took several hours of rooting to find
it.

Kathy

ItÂ’s never too late to be who you might have been.
-George Eliot
For every beauty there is an eye somewhere to see it. For every truth there is 
an ear somewhere to hear it. For every love there is a heart somewhere to 
receive it.
-Ivan Panin


        

        
                
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