Portrait of a Lady

Rogier Van Der Weyden's Portrait of a Lady is an example of private portraiture from 15th century Italy. In the portrait, Van Der Weyden portrays the young woman with a personality, unlike some formal Italian portraiture to come. Her lowered eyes and the way her hands are on top of one another, almost in prayer, suggest that she is a private woman and perhaps very religious; her dress shows that she is of noblility.
The dark background of the portrait puts all of the attention on the young woman and contrasts with some other artists' work in which there is a setting behind the people depicted. The slim woman's upper half is elongated and light in color, perhaps having been influenced by the Gothic period.

Kleiner, Fred S.. "Gardner's Art Through the Ages." 2009. Print.