Portrait of a young woman

This portrait of a young woman by Gaetano Gandolfi is traditionally identified with that of the artist's wife.

More likely, however, it should be interpreted as a "character study", one of those canvases in which the painter was testing his ability to portray the most nuanced and subtle expressions of feelings.

The painting, dating from 1766 and 1767, is proof of how Gaetano Gandolfi managed to harness the painting knowledge of the great Venetian masters that he acquired during his stay in Venice.

The colour, spread with rapid brush strokes and small touches of light on the face and in the hair covered by a thin veil, helps to create the refined image of a sweet discreet feminine beauty, caught in a moment between dreaming and melancholy.