Italian school; middle of the XVIII century.

Italian school; mid-eighteenth century.
"Portrait of Queen".
Oil on canvas. Relined.
It has frame of the nineteenth century.
Measurements: 82 x 66,5 cm; 105 x 90 cm (frame).
This portrait of a queen belonging to the Italian school of the mid-eighteenth century presents a refined composition and representative of the visual codes of the court portrait of the time. The female figure, treated with majestic elegance, wears a sumptuous ermine fur shawl resting on a blue velvet mantle, a symbol of royal power and dignity. The pink dress is richly ornamented with rhinestones on the neckline and sleeves, which accentuates the ornamental and ceremonial character of the garment. The white wig refers to the rococo taste for sophistication and artifice. The stylistic style of the work is based on a restrained use of chiaroscuro, with a soft light that delicately models the volumes, and a meticulous attention to detail that denotes the painter's technical skill.
The Italian school of the 18th century, although sometimes overshadowed by French prominence in European court circles, maintained a strong tradition in the art of portraiture thanks to its classicist heritage and the continuity of aristocratic and papal patronage. In this context, the portrait not only functioned as an affirmation of social status, but also as a vehicle for political and cultural projection. Italian artists of the time combined the legacy of Renaissance and Baroque painting with the new sensibilities of the Rococo, offering representations that, as in this case, balance idealization with an acute observation of the real. The artistic quality of the portrait lies in its technical virtuosity, the subtle psychology of the face and the decorative richness that, without falling into theatricality, reflects the visual refinement characteristic of the Italian school in its final phase of splendor.