The Ugly Duchess: Beauty and Satire in the Renaissance

Lovely exhibition at the National Gallery focusing on Quinten Massys “Ugly Duchess” from about 1513.

This well-known picture from the gallery’s collection was reunited with its pendant “Old Man” on loan from a private collection and set in the context of the time.

I was pleased I had done an introductory talk on the show to get more depth, which I’ve already blogged, and I’ve also signed up to a longer course on it so I’ll save some of the nuisances for that.

The show also included copies of a Leonardo drawing that the picture is based on and other examples of the satirical old man/young woman and visa-versa double portraits as well as a more formal, sympathetic one of an older couple.

The idea of satirising older women in this period was explored with examples in print, majolica, painting and sculpture. I would have liked a bit more on the idea of a similar figure in festival entertainments which I had found fascinating in the talk.

Closes 11 June 2023

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