BOTTICELLI, Sandro
(b. 1445, Firenze, d. 1510, Firenze)

Portrait of a Lady

1470-75
Tempera on panel, 65,7 x 41 cm
Victoria and Albert Museum, London

If the inscription on the window jamb, possibly dating from the 16th century, is to be believed, this is a portrait of Smeralda Bandinelli (Brandini), who was a member of a respected Florentine family, the grandmother of the Florentine sculptor Baccio Bandinelli. A sign of her rank and respectable status is the handkerchief which she is holding in the hand placed across her body.