What topics does Quintilia Fischieri explore?

portraiture, renaissance, reading, noblewoman, baroque, book, gold, luxury

What is the thematic context of Quintilia Fischieri?

renaissance ideals, mannerist grace, noblewoman's intellect, refined taste, humanism, learning, classical beauty, baroque opulence

Get a reproduction of Quintilia Fischieri - Baroque, renaissance ideals

Collectible Description

Shown from about the knees up, a woman with pale skin and honey-brown hair stands in the center of this vertical portrait painting. She turns her body slightly to our right and looks down to read a small, chocolate-brown book held up in her left hand, to our right. The book is decorated with gold bands and medallions on the spine and both covers. Her eyes are hooded under faint brows. She has a straight nose, and her small, coral-pink lips are closed. Her hair is pulled back and braided up along the side of her head. Small, translucent tendrils curl over her right temple, to our left. She wears a long, topaz-blue gown with gold trim down the high-necked bodice and the front of the skirt. The dress has dusty rose-pink sleeves edged with white ruffles at the cuffs. A white collar, pleated into figure-eights, nestles around her chin and the base of her skull. Her right arm, to our left, hangs by her side and she grasps a silvery white handkerchief bordered with thin fringe. She wears a gold ring with a red stone in a square setting on the third finger of that hand. A table covered in a scarlet-red tablecloth angles toward us to our right. Almost falling off the edge is a second book in a parchment-gold binding. The two ties at the edges of the pages are loose, and a sheet of folded paper sits on top of the book. Black script on the paper reads, “All'Ill re mia s rae p rona Oss ma la sig ra quinti lia fischieri de Bon a Urbino.” A fern-green curtain is bunched along the left side of the painting, and the rest of the background is olive green.

Related Artworks

Artist Biography

Early Life and Training

Born: Urbino, Italy (1535)
Died: 1612
Federico Fiori Barocci, an Italian Renaissance painter and printmaker, was born in 1535 in Urbino, Italy.
His original name was Federico Fiori, and he was nicknamed "il Baroccio," which means a two-wheel cart drawn by oxen in northwestern Italian dialects.
Barocci received his earliest apprenticeship with his father, Ambrogio Barocci, a sculptor of some local eminence.
He was then apprenticed with the painter Battista Franco in Urbino. This training laid the foundation for his future success.

Artistic Career and Influences

Barocci's work was highly esteemed and influential, foreshadowing the Baroque style of Peter Paul Rubens.
He worked in the pre-eminent studio of Taddeo and Federico Zuccari in Rome, where he was exposed to various artistic influences.
His first notable work was a "St. Margaret" executed for the confraternity of the Holy Sacrament.
He was invited by Pope Pius IV to assist in the decoration of the Vatican Belvedere Palace at Rome, where he painted the Virgin Mary and infant, with several saints and a ceiling in fresco, representing the Annunciation.
Barocci's style was characterized by a mix of Mannerism and Baroque elements.

Notable Works and Legacy

Five Studies of Male Figure and two of His Right Hand and Arm (Uffizi Gallery, Florence, Italy) - A testament to Barocci’s skill in capturing the human form.
Composition Study (for “Circumcision”, Paris, Musée du Louvre) – Demonstrates his ability to balance composition and emotion.
Man’s Head (for “Calling of Saint Andrew”, Bruxelles, Musées Royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique) - Showcases Barocci's attention to detail and expression.
The Nativity (1597 oil painting at the Prado).
Madonna del Popolo (Uffizi Gallery, Florence, Italy).
The Madonna of the Cat (La Madonna del Gatto)
Annunciation (1582)

Artistic Impact and Followers

Barocci's influence can be seen in the work of various artists, including Peter Paul Rubens, who was inspired by Barocci’s dramatic and emotive brushwork.
His legacy continues to be celebrated through his numerous works, now housed in museums such as the Uffizi Gallery (Florence, Italy) and the Musée du Louvre (Paris, France).

Federico Fiori Barocci

1535 - 1612 , Italy

Quick Facts

Artistic Movement Or Style: Renaissance, Baroque
Artists Or Movements Influenced By This Artist: ['Peter Paul Rubens']
Artists Who Influenced This Artist: ['Battista Franco']
Date Of Birth: 1535
Date Of Death: 1612
Full Name: Federico Fiori Barocci
Nationality: Italian
Notable Artworks:
- The Nativity
- Madonna del Popolo
- Annunciation
- Stigmatization of Saint Francis
- Rest on the Flight to Egypt
Place Of Birth: Urbino, Italy