Abbess Lucretia Aljardi Vertova, Giovanni Battista Moroni 
- Posted by Giovanni Battista Moroni
- Museum: Metropolitan Museum
- Year: Around 1556
Overview of the painting :
Abbess Lucretia Aljardi Vertova – Giovanni Battista Moroni. Around 1556. Oil on canvas. 91.4×68.6
Moroni, known for his naturalism, is considered one of the most skilled portratiists of Chinkvecento. Far from the court manner of Titian, an artist from Bergamo recreates human nature in a new perspective, distinctive and natural. Its customers, most of them people belonging to the prosperous estate of the Lombard province, are depicted in the usual specific atmosphere of everyday life. Images endowed with a deep humanity are masterfully transmitted by the artist through their physical appearance and psychology of behavior.
Abbess is depicted on a gray background, which emphasizes the monumentality of her figure and tells the whole composition a certain severity. Muffled ash tones, however, become brighter behind the back of a woman, focusing on a gray head in a thin work bed. Despite the artificiality of the parapet highlighted with an elegant inscription on the Latin, the canvas is moved away from the strict style of the official portrait: the abbess’s face, bearing the imprint of ruthless time, does not reflect a shadow of arrogance or alienation. Her focused look and hint of a light smile give a sense of sincerity and truthfulness.