170
Gillis Claeissins (attr.) (Olanda, 1526 - Olanda, 1605)
Gillis Claeissins (attr.), Bruges 1526 - 1605
Portrait of Alessandro Farnese, 3rd Duke of Parma and Piacenza, 4th Duke of Castro, ad memoriam
oil on panel, 43.5x31 cm (panel cracked on the left side)
At the top, the inscriptions: AETATIS.SUAE.39; ANO.1565, above the Farnese family coat of arms in the upper right corner
According to our research, the portrait was probably commissioned by Alessandro Farnese to commemorate the death of his wife Maria of Portugal (Maria of Aviz, 1538–1577), who died at the age of 39 and whom Alessandro had married in Brussels on 11 November 1565. The dates inscribed on the panel and the symbolism of the rings worn by the Duke of Parma on his right index and ring fingers refer to an image likely intended to commemorate this mournful event.
It is plausible that the painting was commissioned in Flanders, where Farnese returned a few months after his wife’s death in 1577.
oil on panel, 43.5x31 cm (panel cracked on the left side)
At the top, the inscriptions: AETATIS.SUAE.39; ANO.1565, above the Farnese family coat of arms in the upper right corner
According to our research, the portrait was probably commissioned by Alessandro Farnese to commemorate the death of his wife Maria of Portugal (Maria of Aviz, 1538–1577), who died at the age of 39 and whom Alessandro had married in Brussels on 11 November 1565. The dates inscribed on the panel and the symbolism of the rings worn by the Duke of Parma on his right index and ring fingers refer to an image likely intended to commemorate this mournful event.
It is plausible that the painting was commissioned in Flanders, where Farnese returned a few months after his wife’s death in 1577.