Artemis Gyzi

Artemis Nazou married Gyzis in 1877, and when he painted this in 1890 they had been together 13 years. She is seated, one hand resting on a table under an expensive red cloth, in a white silk dress, with a brownish fur carrying violet tones thrown over her shoulders. Her head tilts slightly, she is smiling, and the shadow collects on that side of her face.

A painter working from his own family has no client to satisfy, and the gallery's note on this canvas points straight at the result: the handling is exceptionally free, built up in rich layers of glaze, and the colour is bolder than a commissioned portrait would have tolerated. At 137 by 100 centimetres it is a large picture for a domestic sitter.

The museum holds a second portrait of Artemis as well, smaller and darker, showing her seated in a hat, which has led to the two being confused in catalogues.