Saint Lucretia

Dosso Dossi

National Gallery of Art

This painting shows a woman seated outdoors, looking towards the right. She has a fair complexion, a round face, and dark brown hair styled back under a large gold headdress. She wears a pinkish-red gown with a green cloak or blanket around her skirts, and she holds a golden palm frond in one hand and points to an open book that rests on her knees with the other. She has a gold necklace or small collar around her neck and a halo of small golden dots around her head. The background on the left features a gray building in shadow, with a tall gray statue standing in a niche. The background on the right features green trees and distant blue buildings under a dark blue sky that is lighter at the horizon. The ground is covered with grass and small stones, and she sits on a flat gray surface.