Portrait of a Girl

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Artist: Carlo Dolci (Italian, 1616–1686)
Medium: Black and red chalks
Size: 15.4 × 12.4 cm (6 1/16 × 4 7/8 in.)
Culture: Italian
Museum: J. Paul Getty Museum
Rights: CC0 — no rights reserved

Who is this young girl? The strand of pearls encircling her neck, the chain hanging beneath her bodice, and her heavily embroidered gown all suggest that she is from an upper class family, but nothing more is known of her identity. The girl stares out from large eyes. Her wispy, shoulder-length hair is held back with a ribbon, and her upturned lips reveal a slight trace of a smile.

Carlo Dolci's contemporaries greatly admired him as a portrait painter, although he preferred to be known for his religious scenes. Here his sharp eye for detail captured the pale fringe of hair that frames her forehead, the small, hooped earrings, and the rosy flushed cheeks. The delicate chalk strokes that shade her face contrast with the looser style used on her dress. A series of zigzagging lines describes the ornament on her bodice, while loose shading gives texture to the fabric.

Text: J. Paul Getty Trust, CC BY 4.0.