Emilia di Spilimbergo

Assistant of Titian, possibly begun by Gian Paolo Pace

National Gallery of Art

Shown from the knees up, a pale-skinned woman wearing rust-red gown under a sumptuous coat stands near a window, through which a sinking ship is shown in this vertical portrait painting. The woman’s body and head are angled to our right as she looks out at us with dark gray eyes. She has a nose with a rounded tip, a thin upper and full lower lip, and a slight double chin. Her red hair is pulled back and a braid wrapped around the back of her head. She wears a pearl and gemstone earring in the ear we see and a short, white pearl necklace. The bodice of her dress has a square neckline with black lines creating a vegetal pattern on the white fabric. That fabric continues up the sides of her chest and around her neck so a ruffle along the top flares out from her chin line. Letters along the inner edge of the fabric read “AV” to the left and “DIM+T” to the right. A gold jeweled belt encircles her waist, and one end hangs down the front of her long skirt, which is painted with a sheen suggesting velvet. The woman’s jacket is sand-brown, and it falls straight and heavy from her shoulders. The sides of the front opening, sleeves, and shoulders are decorated with knotted designs in brick red. Lace peeks out of each cuff, and the woman holds the coat belt loosely in her right hand, to our left. The wall behind her is dark stone, and her other hand rests on a stone ledge in front of the window. Through the opening is a stormy sky, choppy sea, and a masted ship listing hard to our left.