Italian school, late 15th - early 16th century.

Italian school, late fifteenth century - early sixteenth century.
"Female profile".
Oil on panel.
Presents restorations.
Measurements: 45,5 x 31,5 cm.
This painting places us in the threshold of the full Renaissance, moment in which the portrait acquires a fundamental importance as vehicle of individuality and social prestige. The young woman is depicted in profile, following a model inherited from the Florentine quattrocentista tradition, which conceived the effigy as an idealized image and at the same time faithful to the particular features of the character.
The female figure wears an outfit in shades of green, which highlights the delicate pallor of the face, and her red hair is carefully arranged, adorned with a blue ribbon that adds a detail of chromatic and symbolic refinement. The profile, pure and linear, is clearly outlined against a neutral background, concentrating attention on the serenity of the countenance, in which an ideal of harmonious beauty, typical of Renaissance humanism, can be seen.
The Italian school of this period played an essential role in the consolidation of portraiture as an autonomous genre. Through these representations, not only the identity of the person portrayed was affirmed, but also the cultural values of the time: dignity, balance, grace and classical proportion. This type of work, inspired by the rediscovery of ancient art and the search for formal perfection, laid the foundations for modern portraiture throughout Europe.
The sobriety of the pose and expressive restraint reinforce the idea of a portrait conceived not only as a personal memory, but also as an emblem of the humanist ideal of man and woman as the measure and center of beauty.