What secret has been hidden for 100 years by the famous painting: "The Lady in a Fur Cape"

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

For more than 100 years, this picture hid the secret of the true author of the canvas. Who painted the stunning $ 26 million painting from the Louvre? A hundred years later, art critics finally found the true author, but the second secret of the painting - the personality of the model - remains unknown to this day.

The first mystery of the picture is the personality of the heroine

"Lady in a Fur Cape" is an oil painting dated 1577-1579. It is now kept at the Pollock House Museum in Glasgow. The painting was acquired by Sir William Sterling Maxwell in 1853 and is part of the collection of Spanish works donated to the city of Glasgow in 1967 with the House of Pollock by his granddaughter Anne Maxwell MacDonald. The identity of the heroine is still unknown. However, there are suggestions that this is Sofonisba Anguissola - an Italian artist, the first famous artist of the Renaissance.

Other art historians believe that the value of fur and jewelry with precious stones is proof of the heroine's royal lineage. Perhaps someone from the royal family of Louis Philippe (since Alonso Sánchez Coelho was the leading portraitist at his court). The mysterious heroine looks directly at the viewer. She has black almond-shaped deep eyes that are framed by bright charcoal eyebrows. The girl's pose is written in 3/4. She is distinguished by aristocratic pallor, scarlet lips and ruddy cheeks. Her thin long fingers with two rings add additional expressiveness to her appearance (a clue to her married status). The heroine is dressed in a beige fur cape (hence the name), and her head is covered with a light shawl to match the cape. The fur may well belong to an ermine or a lynx. Black curls peep out from under the scarf. Vaguely noticeable is the necklace that the heroine wears under her clothes. Bright black hair, eyes and eyebrows give the lady an oriental flavor.

Is the authorship of the canvas known?

The painting was not signed by the author, but for a long time it was considered the work of the 16th century master El Greco. New research and closer analysis of the masterpiece allowed experts to better understand the style of El Greco and other artists working at the time. Technical analysis by the National Prado Museum in Madrid, the University of Glasgow and the Glasgow Museums proved that El Greco was not the author.

Dr. Mark Richter, who organized the study, confirmed that technical analysis of the paint surface and examination of microscopic samples showed that the composition of the paint in the painting was different from El Greco's other works. They also used infrared reflectography to detect any preliminary sketches or drawings by the artist, which were often obscured by layers of paint. They also took x-rays to provide information on the materials and techniques used, as well as the style of the artists. The experts found that the first layer of the canvas was light gray, while El Greco's work was primed with a brownish-red layer. In addition, the quality of El Greco's original drawings is radically different from the painting under study. All evidence indicates that the materials and methods used to create the painting correspond to the 16th century in Spain. With the help of modern equipment, 5 possible authors-artists were analyzed and, according to the results of examinations, it was found that the author of "Ladies in a Fur Cape" is one of the best European portrait painters of the 16th century, Alonso Sanchez Coelho (1531 - 1588).

Who was Alonso Sanchez Coelho?

Sanchez Coelho is a fundamental figure in the history of Spanish painting. The artist worked mainly with royal portraits. His style combines the objectivity of the Flemish tradition with the sensuality of Venetian painting. Alonso was the main portrait painter at the court of Philip II in Spain, and at that time he was even more admired than El Greco. Coelho's paintings are noted for the ease of poses and execution, dignity and rigor of presentation. Although influenced by Titian's paintings, these portraits show original flair and perfectly reflect the modesty and formality of the Spanish court. Sanchez Coelho also created a touching series of portraits of Philip II's children.

The extreme delicacy of the child's portrait softens the strict etiquette and courtly style. Sanchez Coelho brought distinctive innovations to the style of the court portrait, especially a keen sense of color, clarity of execution and heightened realism.

The Lady in a Fur Cape has captivated audiences since it was exhibited at the Louvre in 1838. Although it has been a puzzle since the beginning of the 20th century, the painting has now finally regained the international reputation that Alonso Sanchez Coelho deserves. Author: Jamila Kurdi