Parmigiano, Ritratto d'Antea, 1537, Napoli

Speranza



First wordly painter of the Italian school, Parmigiano idealised beauty according to a precept of his own, which was characterised by an elegant lengthening of the lines.

The portrait above is of Antea, a well-known Roman courtesan praised for her charm and compiancy by Aretino and Benvenuto Cellini.

Here, the perfect oval of her face, the very straight long nose, the small mouth, the ear slightly out of place so that we can the better appreciate its hape, the purity of the modelling, all transcend the portrait and make for idealisation of the subject.