The Ugly Duchess, Quentin Matsys (A Grotesque Old Woman)
The painting is in oil on an oak panel, measures 62.4 by 45.5 cm. It shows a grotesque old woman with wrinkled skin and withered breasts. She wears the aristocratic horned headdress (Escoffion) of her youth, out of fashion by the time of the painting, and holds in her right hand a red flower, then a symbol of engagement, indicating that she is trying to attract a suitor. However, it has been described as a bud that will 'likely never blossom'. The work is Matsys' best-known painting.
The painting was long thought to have been derived from a putative lost work by Leonardo da Vinci, on the basis of its striking resemblance to two caricature drawings of heads commonly attributed to the Italian artist. However the caricatures are now thought to be based on the work of Matsys, who is known to have exchanged drawings with Leonardo.
A possible literary influence is Erasmus's essay In Praise of Folly (1511), which satirizes women who "still play the coquette", "cannot tear themselves away from their mirrors" and "do not hesitate to exhibit their repulsive withered breasts". The woman has been often identified as Margaret, Countess of Tyrol, claimed by her enemies to be ugly; however, she had died 150 years earlier.
The painting is in the collection of the National Gallery in London, to which it was bequeathed by Jenny Louisa Roberta Blaker in 1947. It was originally half of a diptych, with a Portrait of an Old Man, in the Musée Jacquemart-André, Paris, which was lent to the National Gallery in 2008 for an exhibition in which the two paintings were hung side by side.
The portrait is thought to be a source for John Tenniel's 1869 illustrations of the Duchess in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.
All prints are made using archival art stocks and UV pigment inks to give up to 200 years life. Prints are sold unframed and unmounted.
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Fine art papers are printed without any additional white border Please let us know at the time of ordering if you would like a small additional white border.
Rolled canvas options have an additional white border of approximately 2.5 inches (7cm) on all 4 sides to aid stretching.
Ready to hang canvas panels are stretched on 1.5 inch deep solid pine frames from sustainable forestry sources. The image is mirrored on all 4 sides to give an aesthetically pleasing finish.
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- Printed and framed in-house
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- Gift wrapping service available
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Finest Quality Wall Art
What makes our prints and canvas panels so special
1Latest Giclee printing technology
We have invested in the latest wide format print technology to produce museum quality giclee prints utilising the highest quality pigment inks to give outstanding colour reproduction.
2Museum quality archival fine art papers
We print on the finest quality fine art papers with textured, smooth and lustre finishes for prints which last a lifetime. From aceo to 40x80 inch large format, every print has our lifetime quality guarantee.
3Solid wood frames, cotton canvas
All of the wood for our canvas panels and frames is responsibly sourced from managed forests. Our cotton canvas is completely seedless for the highest quality reproduction possible.
Choose a custom frame
Have your choice of prints mounted and framed from our wide range of colours and styles.
Have your gift wrapped
Why not have us gift wrap your order and attach a personalised message to the recipient. Available for all orders. Each order is hand wrapped in high quality gift wrap with meatllic ribbon and bow. Your personalised message is printed on a card which is included with your order.
WHAT OUR CUSTOMERS SAY
This was a present for my wife and she loves it. The quality is very good. Thanks for your excellent service.
Fantastic packaging and a stunning print. Thank you!
Great quality and a good idea to include a 'free gift' mini-pic to show what the other finishes are like.
Really excellent print quality! I have just had my print framed and it looks great thank you
This arrived quickly and is great quality, thank you! :)
My art print arrived quickly and in excellent condition! Very high quality print! Thank you!!
love my print! Very fast professional service Thank you very much
I ordered the canvas panel as a gift for my sister and she was delighted the canvas is really good quality and perfectly stretched. The finish on the back was really profesionally done too
Amazing print well printed and a reasonable price
