Vittore Carpaccio
Woman Holding a Book

The artist painted the small portrait format with oil and tempera on wood. It measures 40 x 30 centimetres and comes from the collection of the Denver Art Museum in the USA. 

The painting shows a middle-aged woman in front of a rust-coloured curtain. Her right hand holds a closed book. 

The portrait of the woman takes up almost the entire picture surface. With an attentive gaze, she turns to the left in three-quarter profile. Her face is oval, with narrow brows above her brown, slightly protruding eyes. She has a large nose with wide nostrils, a small mouth with narrow lips and a slight double chin. Her cheeks are rosy. Her dark blonde hair is parted in the centre and partly covered with a hairnet. Individual chin-length wavy strands fall down at the temples. The ochre-coloured hairnet is decorated with white pearls arranged in a flower-like pattern. 

The sitter is wearing a dark brocade dress with a trapeze neckline lined with a gold border and pearls. Around her neck is a simple gold chain. 

The clasp on the book, bottom right in the picture, is also golden. This type of metal construction on the long sides of the front and back covers was used to close a book, among other things. The cut of the book is also gilded. These are the three sides on which a book can be opened. In addition, a silver-coloured curved pattern adorns the dark cover. It runs around the book cover like a frame.

At around the same time as Gentile Bellini was working on his portrait of Caterina Cornaro, Queen of Cyprus, Carpaccio painted this wealthy patrician lady.

Take a moment to compare the two female portraits: like Caterina Cornaro, Carpaccio's sitter is shown in three-quarter view, slightly turned away from the viewer. Her priceless brocade gown is trimmed with gold braid and a row of pearls. She's wearing a beaded cap, from which a few strands of her parted hair have been allowed to escape. Beneath a high forehead, her brown eyes gaze into the distance. The bridge of her nose is prominent, she has a small mouth, and her lips appear narrow above a slight double chin. Carpaccio's portrait shows a confident woman with a distinctive look.

That impression is further highlighted by the book this woman is holding. Even without knowing what the volume is about, we identify it as a sign of education. The book's gilt edging and precious clasp are echoed in the gold trim of the sitter's sumptuous gown. The filigree pattern of the book's gleaming silver cover matches the delicacy of the slightly wavy strands of hair and the rounded decorative seams of her neckline.

Small-scale portraits were very popular with the Venetian patriciate and the middle classes. Carpaccio picked up on this trend, but varied his portraits by personalising them. He'd include his sitters' hands in the picture. He'd give them attributes – like the book – and use these elements to elicit their individual characters.

The picture of Caterina and this one were painted at the same time. Compare the pictures of the two women: Both are painted from the side.

Carpaccio's picture shows a wealthy, noble woman. She wears a precious, decorated dress and a bonnet. Her forehead is high, her lips thin, she has a slight double chin and she looks into the distance with her brown eyes. Carpaccio paints a confident, unique woman. She holds a book in her hand, a sign of education. The book goes very well with her precious, decorated dress.

The nobles and wealthy citizens of Venice loved these small portraits. Carpaccio tried something new: in his pictures he put something in people's hands that said something about their character – like the book in this picture.