Pietro Longhi, Italian, c.1701-1785
Title: The Artist Painting a Lady's Portrait
Date: c.1740
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions:
61 x 50 cm
Credit Line: Purchased, 1932
Object Number: NGI.952
DescriptionSeated with his back to us, Longhi is seen in teasing half-profile, nearing completion of a Venetian lady’s portrait. Her husband attends as chaperone and has removed the white carnival mask, or bauta (frequently worn in the streets of Venice for anonymity), from below his tricorne hat. A mixing bowl and wiping rag lie on the artist’s workbox, with an additional palette and bottles for oils and thinners on the shelves behind the figures. He holds a handful of brushes, each with a different colour, while resting his painting hand on a mahlstick as he carefully paints her eye.
The son of an artist and goldsmith, Longhi had realised his lack of aptitude for large-scale painting by this date and, around 1740, began to record the lives of Venetians (and occasional Grand Tourists) dining, making music or simply socialising in their palazzi. These pictures offer a unique glimpse into a still secretive society dominated by a large aristocracy and autocratic government. A painting of his own studio may have been viewed by him as a useful advertisement for his work and he produced two other versions. Preparatory drawings (Museo Correr, Venice), which he often carried out with no particular subject in mind, are a reminder of the importance he placed on his graphic art.
March 2016
The son of an artist and goldsmith, Longhi had realised his lack of aptitude for large-scale painting by this date and, around 1740, began to record the lives of Venetians (and occasional Grand Tourists) dining, making music or simply socialising in their palazzi. These pictures offer a unique glimpse into a still secretive society dominated by a large aristocracy and autocratic government. A painting of his own studio may have been viewed by him as a useful advertisement for his work and he produced two other versions. Preparatory drawings (Museo Correr, Venice), which he often carried out with no particular subject in mind, are a reminder of the importance he placed on his graphic art.
March 2016
Exhibition HistoryCentenary Exhibition, National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin, October - December 1964
From Titian to Delacroix: Masterpieces from the National Gallery of Ireland, Yokohama Sogo Museum of Art, 25 August 1993 - 17 October 1993; Chiba Sogo Museum of Art, 10 November 1993 - 20 December 1993; Prefectural Museum of Art, Yamaguchi, 5 January 1994 - 20 February 1994; Kobe City Museum, 25 February 1994 - 10 April 1994; Isetan Museum of Art, 14 April 1994 - 24 May 1994
European Masterpieces from the National Gallery of Ireland, National Gallery, Canberra, 25 June 1994 - 3 October 1994; Art Gallery of New South Wales, 21 October 1994 - 15 January 1995
From Titian to Delacroix: Masterpieces from the National Gallery of Ireland, Yokohama Sogo Museum of Art, 25 August 1993 - 17 October 1993; Chiba Sogo Museum of Art, 10 November 1993 - 20 December 1993; Prefectural Museum of Art, Yamaguchi, 5 January 1994 - 20 February 1994; Kobe City Museum, 25 February 1994 - 10 April 1994; Isetan Museum of Art, 14 April 1994 - 24 May 1994
European Masterpieces from the National Gallery of Ireland, National Gallery, Canberra, 25 June 1994 - 3 October 1994; Art Gallery of New South Wales, 21 October 1994 - 15 January 1995
Label TextIn this unusual self-portrait, Longhi reveals only his profile as he paints a lady’s portrait. In one hand he holds a palette and brushes, while he rests his other hand on a mahl stick. The lady is chaperoned by her husband who wears a tricorne hat with a white carnival mask (bauta) tucked up behind. Hats and masks gave Venetians anonymity on the streets and were associated with the annual Carnival. Around 1740 Longhi began recording the lives of Venetian aristocrats. These images offer a unique glimpse into a secretive society dominated by an autocratic government.