Primarily recognised for its long-term presence in the Spanish Royal collection and was documented as a " Pieza de Tocador " (dressing room piece)
Lucrezia di Baccio del Fede is a portrait of Andrea’s wife, who was a widow, and was used as a model for many years. As per sources, Andrea married her as she brought property and a self-willing dowry. This portrait has been characterised as a portrait of the artist’s future spouse. Further, in various studies, it was noticed that he used the face of Lucrezia in other paintings depicting women in any setup and story, for instance. Beyond all this, even Vasari in his book mentioned in the chapter of Andrea, that he was highly fascinated with the facial features of Lucrezia and in the book titled Lives of the Artists, it has been written that for Andrea, she was an ideal of beauty. Further, it is a half-portrait that reflects the feel of a homely yet intimate work of art. If someone notices the portrait in a very detailed manner, the artist has not rendered the hands of the female, only to make the audience notice her facial beauty with full concentration, eliminating all distractions in the work piece. At the same time, the rendition of the facial features is the mark of perfection by Andrea, where Lucrezia appears to be calm and patient with a classic tilted head serving the scrutiny with a relaxed posture, as if she is totally free and relaxed, seated for her own portraiture. Further, that classic simple smile rendered by the artist acts as if at any moment she could outburst a loud laugh for a second and pretend to be alive at the place. Here, Andrea’s naturalistic impact could be identified easily due to the use of monochromes with a soft rendition of colours in the portrait. The pleats of the dress worn by Lucrezia could be seen done with great rendition, which reflects the perfection and smooth and clean detailing altogether. Lastly, this portrait is a classic artpiece which reflects the traits of the High Renaissance, which could be identified through the touch of sfumato, where the balance of soft rendition with light and shadow has been done very accurately. Creating a sense of depth in the painting despite not having a detailed background. Therefore, this portrait by Andrea is an ultimate masterpiece that showcases his mastery over the perfection and contouring and provides a strong structure to the figure in a compositional setup.
Del Sarto presents Lucrezia as an embodiment of Renaissance beauty- calm, balanced, and dignified. Her smooth features, composed expression, and graceful posture suggest admiration and affection from the artist. The subdued background isolates the sitter from any specific place or narrative. This directs attention entirely on her face and presence, transforming the portrait into a study of personality rather than social status.
