CIRCLE OF PAOLO CALIARI, CALLED PAOLO VERONESE | PORTRAIT OF A YOUNG LADY, BUST LENGTH, IN A BLACK SLASHED DRESS WITH PEARL NECKLACES

Anonymous sale, South Kensington, Christie's, 30 April 2015, lot 484;

There acquired.

This smooth and crisply rendered portrait of a young lady shares visual affinities with Paolo Veronese's half length portraits of noble figures from the second half of the 16th century.¹ It was likely executed by an artist in the circle or close following of Veronese, and that it is on slate suggests that the anonymous artist was active in Verona, where such a support proved increasingly popular. Although uncertainty still remains in identifying Paolo Veronese's followers in Verona, some names that could be suggested include Anselmo Canera or Orlando Flacco.  The interesting pearl earrings that wrap around the present sitter's ear may have been an alternative for un-pierced ears.  

1. The style of her costume and the cut of her neckline and bodice recall that found in Veronese's Portrait of a Woman dated circa 1555 in Douai, Musée Municipal, inv. no. 751. See J. Garton, Grace and Grandeur: The Portraiture of Paolo Veronese, Turnhout 2008, p. 193, cat. no. 9, reproduced.