Portrait of a Venetian Woman

This lady is dressed in the height of Venetian fashion around 1570. The museum notes that her red gown, with its pleated skirt, fitted bodice and puffed sleeves, matches the newest styles of the day in both cut and colour, and that the costly fabric and the delicate handkerchief in her left hand mark her as a woman of high social standing. What brings the portrait to life is her glance. She looks at us out of the corner of her eye, enough to make contact while keeping a dignified distance. Who she was is not certain. The Alte Pinakothek thinks she is probably Zuanna Cuccina, of the wealthy merchant family who gave Veronese several of his major commissions in these years. The canvas came to the museum from the picture gallery of the Bavarian electors.