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Female Members of a Confraternity

Image credit: The National Gallery, London

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Fourteen smartly dressed ladies kneel in prayer. They are female members of a confraternity (a quasi-religious brotherhood), praying to their patron saint; its men are shown in another painting in the National Gallery’s collection.

We are not sure who this picture is by, but it is thought to have been painted in Milan in around 1500 and was once part of a banner carried in the confraternity’s processions. It was painted on silk or canvas, and later mounted on wood.

The women are clearly meant to be recognisable people, but none has yet been identified. They wear a variety of clothes, reflecting both their age and their social status. Older women tend to have their hair covered, sometimes by several layers of veils, while the younger ones tie it back in fine nets held in place by narrow bands.

The National Gallery, London

London

Title

Female Members of a Confraternity

Date

about 1500

Medium

Oil on silk or canvas, mounted on wood

Measurements

H 64.5 x W 41.9 cm

Accession number

NG780

Acquisition method

Bought, 1867

Work type

Painting

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Normally on display at

The National Gallery, London

Trafalgar Square, London, Greater London WC2N 5DN England

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