Italian school, follower of Justus Sustermans; 19th century.

Italian school, follower of JUSTUS SUSTERMANS (Antwerp 1597-1681 Florence); XIX century.
"Portrait of Vittoria della Rovere".
Oil on canvas.
It has a frame of the nineteenth century.
Measurements: 93 x 63 cm; 108 x 76 cm (frame).
This work follows the model realized by Sustermans which is in the collection of the Uffizi Gallery. It is the portrait of Vittoria della Rovere, wife of Ferdinando II de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany. The original work is part of the so-called "Aulic series" (or "of the most serene princes"), a set of portraits dedicated to the most prominent members of the House of Medici. The first documented reference to this work, along with the portrait of her husband, appears in 1659, when both paintings are temporarily removed from the Uffizi Gallery to be copied.
A letter dated July 1, 1654, sent by Zanobi Betti, in charge of the Medici closet, to Cardinal Carlo de' Medici, informs that the portrait of Ferdinando was already finished and that a copy had been sent to Rome to receive an appraisal. For this reason, it is considered that the portraits of Ferdinando and Vittoria were made around 1653 or 1654. In addition, two other copies of portraits of the Grand Dukes were sent to Oliver Cromwell in 1655.