Austria: Zaganelli

Paintings from the late middle ages and the early renaissance are to be found amongst the treasures of the Princes of Liechtenstein's collections in Vaduz and Vienna. Furst Johann II von Liechtenstein acquired the painting "Portrait of a Lady" in 1882 as a work by the artist Anselmo da Foli. After the Second World War, the royal family was obliged to sell a number of works from its collection as a means of escaping its financial difficulties. The paintings sold included the "Portrait of a Lady", but in 2003, Furst Hans Adam II bought the painting back again from a private collector in Switzerland.

The "Portrait of a Lady" was probably painted around 1500, and is today attributed to the Italian painter Bernardino Zaganelli da Cottignola (1470 – 1510). It shows a young woman in a red dress with a fine hairnet, a head band and a pearly necklace with a pendant made of precious stones. Attention is drawn to the features of the woman's face, the skin being modelled in subtle shades of grey. The light comes from outside, shining on the pearls and caught in the precious stones of the pendant. The naturalist approach primarily concentrates on the tangible details, while the large areas of the woman's clothing lack structuring, a typical sign of the early renaissance.

What is particular noticeable in this portrait by Zaganelli is the neutral, dark background. In both the Netherlands and in Italy, it was usual to paint a background in the form of a panorama landscape.