It's funny what catches your eye, isn't it? Out of a massive houseful of stuff ranging from silverware to stuffed birds, it was this quite small painting that made quite a big impression.
It's St Christina of Bolensa, painted by Carlo Dulci in c1650-55. It's 11.25 inces in diameter, oil on panel and absolutely beautiful. Even taking into account the rather bizarre and gruesome subject matter.
I wonder, did the people of so long ago have perfect skin, hair and teeth? Or did the painters do a bit of oiloshopping? Literally glossing over imperfections. We know they did it for big wigs like Elizabeth I and Henry VII, but average people? I suspect if you were paying you could make certain requests...
And saints should be perfect anyway. But I'd like to know what people really looked like, what Beautiful looked like before photography and mass media.
Of course they had perfect skin, hair and teeth. And they stayed looking only 14 right up to the point when they didn't die in childbirth, or, as in St Christina's case, managing to stay looking unperturbed and quite holy even with an arrow through the throat.
We live in much harder times......
Posted by: rachel | November 01, 2013 at 12:03 PM
Beautiful face but very Ouch...!
Posted by: Val | November 01, 2013 at 10:27 PM
Thought provoking in the extreme!
Posted by: Toffeeapple | November 03, 2013 at 06:26 PM
somehow it isn't gruesome and she is a beauty, a titian haired beauty. now she would be lampooned, or whatever they call it on twitter, as a ginger, sadly.
I think we all have always looked much the same as we did then and that beauty is always beautiful, just that fashion goes in and out and round and round. you can see the fanciable types with the glint in their eye in a lot of old paintings.
plus ca change etc
Posted by: grey rabbit | November 10, 2013 at 09:06 PM