Throughout history and various forms of visual media, artists have attempted to capture the lives of individuals—both real and mythical—in a single moment in time to portray their subjects’ complex identities in a singular piece. To address this, artists have relied on symbols and visual clues drawn from fashion, history, and myth to aid the viewer in identifying the subject.
This virtual tour explores the different aspects present in the many depictions of women housed in the NCMA’s permanent collection. Looking at five works of art across two millennia, I examine the symbols and visual cues added by the artists to identify the women depicted. Afterward, I invite you to examine each work of art again to see if there are any other symbols and visual cues not discussed in this tour that could tell a viewer even more about the sitter. On your next visit to the NCMA, take some time to explore the other portraits in the galleries to see if you can identify any other sitters based on the symbols and visual cues discussed in this tour.
Accompanied here with a dolphin behind her leg and wearing an elaborate hairstyle, Aphrodite was frequently depicted in the nude in ancient statues. Though she is often associated with other attributes like the dolphin, she has come to be so greatly defined by her nudity that scholars often rely on it to identify a nude female figure as Aphrodite, the goddess of love.
While this portrait bears no conclusive identification, the diadem worn atop her neatly arranged hair is associated with political or divine power in the Roman world. Furthermore, the portrait’s intricate detail and costly bronze construction suggest the woman portrayed is of a higher social or cultural status, giving some meaning to this otherwise unidentified woman.
Kneeling in prayer before an image of Jesus, Joan of Arc is largely defined by her willing submission to a higher power and highly polished armor. Her long, loose hair signifies Joan’s femininity, defying societal standards of warfare and womanhood, and also emphasizing her often overlooked youthfulness.
This portrait of Lucrezia de’ Medici was commissioned for her marriage to Duke Alfonso II d’Este of Ferrara, healing a longstanding political rift between the two families. The portrait is steeped in Medici familial symbolism, with the globe in Lucrezia’s left hand and ruby-pearl jewelry serving as prominent symbols of the family’s wealth and power in the 16th century. Despite her impending marriage and move to Ferrara to serve as its duchess, these objects mark Lucrezia as distinctly Medici.
This unknown woman wears a shepherdess dress in her portrait, initially implying she is of the working class. However, the dress’s fine fabrics and woman’s pearl necklace also suggest wealth. Additionally, this painting was originally commissioned for the halls of the Dutch royal court, adding to the image of the sitter’s higher social status and making it difficult for viewers to decide on her identity.
