Portrait of a Lady in a Turban

The costume and schuffa—the turban-like hairstyle formed of braids— identify the woman in this portrait as someone who was well-off and lived in northern Italy, perhaps Bergamo or Verona, in the early 16th century. Isabella Stewart Gardner purchased this painting as a portrait of Isabella d’Este, a celebrated Renaissance collector she admired.  Gardner considered this purchase from a photograph sent to her by her art advisor Bernard Berenson.  Initially she was worried that the poorly rendered hand was “offensive” but Berenson convinced her there was nothing wrong with the picture.  When the painting arrived in Boston, Isabella wrote “Isabella d’Este… is most delightful. She and Rembrandt held quite a little reception this afternoon.”

Francesco Torbido, called Il Moro, was a Venetian artist of Afro-European descent. He trained with the  painter Giorgione and, around 1500, left Venice for Verona where he took up residence with a local noble family who became his patrons. He was awarded prestigious commissions, including frescoes for the choir of Verona cathedral.