Tudor chick

My daughter is doing a drama performance and this is one of the factors which she has to concentrate on.
What is the link between a painting known as "Portrait of a Youth" and recently became known as a painting of Lucrezia Borgia by Dosso Dossi and the painting "The Girl with a Pearl Earring" by Johannes Vermeer?
The theories are that until recently the sitters were unknown and the relationship of the sitter with the artist was unclear.
What do people think? Are there any other links?

Tudor chick

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2008/11/26/article-1089353-029601F4000005DC-349_468x600.jpg

This is the link to the painting "Portrait of a Youth."

Tudor chick

Can anyone have a go at this?
Apparently it is not just the paintings that show the connection but the story or characters behind it.
The painting The girl with the peral earring is the same as the movie.
Lucrezia Borgia from the other painting is a interesting historical figure in her own right. She was suppose to have this terrible reputation along with her father and brother, but it is now thought that this is wrong. Some one might even like to discuss this women of history that is not that well known.

Pedro

Again, and in the same gallery, a painting comes to light that is creating excitement. The kind of excitement that surrounds itself with money. I must take a cautious view for as they say ‘Once bitten twice shy’. I refer, of course, to the ‘art world’ being bitten.

The first episode concerned a painting that was exhibited as a genuine van Gogh. Later the painting was found to be an imitation of his style, possibly by a contemporary. It’s mis-attibution was discovered when it was subjected to scientist analysis in London in anticipation of a lucrative sale that then fell through.

The second exciting event shows some creativity by reversing the first. Instead of the well known being demoted we now have an unknown being elevated.


Until all test are conclusive I remain skeptic.

As to linking the works of Dosso Dossi to Vermeer the most obvious connection is that very little is know about the life of either one. Neither left a diary nor did contemporaries leave diaries and letters containing choice bit of gossip we moderns live for.
Obscurity seems to be the only fact linking them, tenuously held together by the unanswerable questions raised.
If we stretch the imagination we can see some connection in their choice of subject matter. That would be, they both painted mythological themes. Vermeer only did two paintings with mythological subjects (now presumed lost), both of which are know from old catalogs. The only time Vermeer made a foray into mythology.

Vermeer’s lost painting according to an 18th century catalogue was titled, “Jupiter, Venus, and Mercury. We might assume this was a mistake on the part of the compiler for these three mythological figures don’t appear together in mythology. Perhaps the auctioneer mistook the female figure for Venus when it actually represented Virtue or Psyche.

Which brings us to Dosso Dosi’s painting known as Jupiter, Mercury, and Virtue. Virtue rendered as a female figure. Next time you are in Vienna ask to see it. It’s a pretty darn good painting for a second rate artist.

In the Dossi painting Virtue is in the guise of a woman entreating Mercury for an audience with Jupiter, who is busy painting butterflies. Mercury has his finger to his mouth thereby denying her access to the king of heaven. Of course there many alternative interpretations of this painting. (What else would you expect in Historum?)

Another connection. (?)
In 1945 Hans van Meegran (sp?) was arrested, by the Dutch, for having sold state treasures to the Nazi’s. Specifically a number of Vermeer paintings. Hans pleaded innocent because they were not original Vermeers but had been painted by none other than Hans. While in prison he painted one of his forged Vermeers to prove he could do it. He was released. When he was tossing off fake Vermeers for the Germans he also tossed in a Dosi. A tenuous connection to be sure, but the ‘art world’ is no less immune from greed than the rest of us. I doubt I have answered your question satisfactorily but all I see in the situation is the excitement of money and hands grasping for the Dosi dough.

Tudor chick

Thanks for this Pedro, I am sure my very clever daughter will be able to make something out of this. I suppose it comes down to what the teacher is looking for.
I don't understand how she is suppose to make a drama play out of all of this. I am glad it is her and not me.

Pedro

You are welcome. I must confess I don't really understand the question.
But as long as we are winging it lets throw this in. As far as I know the girl with the pearl earring is still unknown, etc. etc. But it's interesting that if you look at Vermeers painting all the women are wearing pearl earrings. That is when their ears aren't covered.
Is that the only kind of earrings they had?
Is that the only kind Vermeer could paint?
Was it the badge of some sort of Dutch feminist cult?
Was it something that had no meaning at all?
Was it Vermeer's joke on the future?

Subject for daughters play: the envy among the women because one of their group is favored in a painting. (Don't forget to include a square dance.)

In the painting of Lucretia she is holding a dagger. Symbol that she committed suicide after being raped. Or not.
Or is it really a youth in the painting because that is how young Renaissance swells were depicted.

Tudor chick

Would have Lucretia known about these painters at the time? Or is it only us pleebs now that dont know about them? Did they both have already painted their mythological themes before Dossi painted Lucretia?
From the little I have read about Dossi, he only painted well known and important people, eg Lucretia. Therefore making a link that both paintings where unkown sitters incorrect.
This link is something that Lucretia knows at the time, because my daughter is suppose to put this into her performance when she acts as Lucretia. Therefore Lucretia was favored, as you say, to be painted by Dossi who is linked to Vermeer because.....? They were both were famours for ....?
Does this make it clearer?
As far as the painting goes. Lucretia is known to be a great beauty, not apparent in this painting!

Pedro

Vermeer came along about 90 years after Dossi died; since Lucretia died before Dossi she couldn't have know about both. It would seem logical that each painter would have know their sitter. Dossi did paint a number of oval portraits. The oval almost being his 'signature'. Since a number of these oval portraits were of people living in the same area as Lucretia it gives some credence to its authenticity.

It is said this was painted 'about 1520'. She died in 1519, so I guess that is about. However I have a question about the dagger handel. Usually a male attribute in paintings of the era. If the dagger is a symbol of her death I would think the painting was not done from life. If the painting is indeed of a female.

Writers of her time wrote of her long beautiful blond hair. This doesn't seem to be the portrait of a femme fatal to me. A coin struck in 1502, she would have been about 22, shows her profile with long flowing hair, and a slight roundness of cheek. That is, not fat but a few pounds over. If that is accurate the portrait makes her look like she has been on a diet. It's possible. Who knows? I am still in the dark. Do you think you could get your daughter's teacher to drop us a note and enlightenment us.

Tudor chick

Thanks again. My daughter has just come home and read this and said I have got the question all wrong. My daughter has to act out four different characters. 1)The spirit of the painting, the main character, promoting its idenity at the 2008 renaming - Lucrezia Borgia - Duchess of Ferrara. 2) The sitter who creates a montage of dramatic images of her life 3) The artist who demonstrates the signifigances of a clue incorporated into the painting 4) The art detetive who explores mysterious paralles which connect the painting to Johannes Vermeer The Girls with the Pearl Earring.
This has been set by the year 12 state examiners, not her teacher. But her teacher does know the link. If she finds a link, she can use it so long as it is backed up with evidence. So what you have told us might be of some use.

Melisende

Tudor,

Can help you with any info on Lucrezia - but as to the other - art was never my forte.

The only comparison between to two painting that I - a lay person - can see is that both portraits do not display the subject face on - and both surrouns do not partiuclarly stand out. To me anyway.