Head of a Female Saint

This small oil on panel by Cima da Conegliano shows the head of a female saint whose identity cannot be established, since the painting includes no visible attributes that would allow her to be recognised. The reduced format, only a few centimetres across, suggests a work of private devotion rather than an altarpiece made for a church. It is a study focused entirely on the face: the figure appears in three-quarter view, with a calm gaze and restrained expression that draw the viewer's attention. Soft light models the features and hair, and the plain background does not distract from the figure's presence. As with other works by the painter, the panel shows his command of colour and gentle modelling, along with his sensitivity to inner feeling within a genre that was highly conventional. The painting is undated, so its chronology rests on stylistic judgement. It is now held in the Museo Poldi Pezzoli in Milan.

Painter

Giovanni Battista Cima da Conegliano

Dimensions

25 × 18 cm

Museum

Museo Poldi Pezzoli, Milan

Genre

religious art

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