Portrait of a Lady in a Plumed Hat

Image credit: The National Gallery, London

How you can use this image

This image can be used for non-commercial research or private study purposes, and other UK exceptions to copyright permitted to users based in the United Kingdom under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised. Any other type of use will need to be cleared with the rights holder(s).

Review the copyright credit lines that are located underneath the image, as these indicate who manages the copyright (©) within the artwork, and the photographic rights within the image.

The collection that owns the artwork may have more information on their own website about permitted uses and image licensing options.

Review our guidance pages which explain how you can reuse images, how to credit an image and how to find images in the public domain or with a Creative Commons licence available.

Buy a print or image licence

You can purchase this reproduction

If you have any products in your basket we recommend that you complete your purchase from Art UK before you leave our site to avoid losing your purchases.

Notes

Add or edit a note on this artwork that only you can see. You can find notes again by going to the ‘Notes’ section of your account.

This unidentified woman wears a costume dating from the second half of the 1560s or early 1570s. Her feathered jewelled hat is influenced by fashion in Lombardy and Venice, and her costume resembles that in a portrait drawing of a similar date attributed to Sofonisba Anguissola (Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden). The portrait has previously been thought to be by Giuseppe Salviati or Niccolò dell’Abate.

The lady wears a gold crucifix on a triple chain around her neck and a gold pendant hanging from a black ribbon. The figure in silhouette on her pendant holds a tall object that resembles a distaff, used in spinning. The distaff is the symbol of Nona, the Roman goddess of pregnancy and the spinner of the thread of life. Pregnant women called upon her when their baby was due to be born; the young lady may be pregnant and wearing the pendant as a charm.

The National Gallery, London

London

Title

Portrait of a Lady in a Plumed Hat

Date

probably 1565-75

Medium

Oil on paper, mounted on canvas

Measurements

H 44.8 x W 34 cm

Accession number

NG4033

Acquisition method

Sir Claude Phillips Bequest, 1924

Work type

Painting

Tags

See a tag that’s incorrect or offensive? Challenge it and notify Art UK.

Help improve Art UK. Tag artworks and verify existing tags by joining the Tagger community.

The National Gallery, London

Trafalgar Square, London, Greater London WC2N 5DN England

This venue is open to the public. Not all artworks are on display. If you want to see a particular artwork, please contact the venue.
View venue