An Augustinian Nun
Artist: Pier Leone Ghezzi (Italian, 1674-1755)
Date: about 1725-1730
Dimensions:
H: 29 1/2 in. (74.9 cm); W: 24 1/2 in. (62.2 cm)
Medium: Oil on canvas
Classification: Paintings
Credit Line: Purchased with funds from the Libbey Endowment, Gift of Edward Drummond Libbey
Object number: 1971.4
Label Text:The young nun in this sensitive portrait has tentatively been identified as Maria Lucrezia, the daughter of Florentine noble Bartolomeo Corsini and Vittoria Altoviti. She was a nun in the Augustinian convent of San Gaggio and died in 1736. Many convents in Italy were peopled by aristocratic women—often from families with many daughters for whom the parents may have been unable or unwilling to pay a marriage dowry.
Pier Leone Ghezzi became the official painter to Pope Clement XI in 1708 and remained at the papal court throughout his career.
Pier Leone Ghezzi became the official painter to Pope Clement XI in 1708 and remained at the papal court throughout his career.
On view
In Collection(s)