Written by Marianna Cerini, CNN
The 1513 portrait “An Old Woman” by Flemish artist Quinten Massys is one of the most famous paintings of the Renaissance period. However, it is also one of the most atypical.
The subject of the painting, believed to be either a fictional folkloric character or a woman suffering from an exceptionally rare form of Paget’s disease, is visibly elderly with wrinkled skin, withered breasts, and eyes set deep in their sockets. But she’s not just old; she’s grotesque. Her forehead is bulging, her nose snub and wide, her squared chin overly prominent. Even her attire is a far cry from what you’d expect a Renaissance lady her age to wear. Rather than modest, sober clothes, she’s donning a revealing low-cut dress showing off her décolleté (and those dimpled breasts).
Unlike other female figures of that era, such as Sandro Botticelli’s Venus or Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, she shares none of the idealized qualities.
Despite her appearance, the portrait is more…
2023-03-16 08:35:47
Article from www.cnn.com