Frick Collection Acquires Rare Female Renaissance Portrait by Moroni

The Frick Collection in New York has acquired Giovan Battista Moroni's 'Ritratto di donna' (c. 1575), marking the first female Renaissance portrait and the first work by the Italian master in the museum's permanent collection. The painting, depicting an unknown gentlewoman in a pink brocade dress with a white collar and refined jewelry, was previously exhibited at the Frick in 2019 during the landmark exhibition 'Moroni: The Riches of Renaissance Portraiture,' where it was hailed as one of the finest Moroni portraits still in private hands. The acquisition was made possible through a bequest from Armenian philanthropist and museum trustee Aso Tavitian, who died in 2020. Frick director Ian Wardropper noted that the portrait adds 'depth' to the Renaissance collection, joining works by Bronzino, Titian, and Tintoretto. The painting will be displayed at the museum's temporary location on Madison Avenue while the historic Upper East Side building undergoes expansion. The Frick Collection, founded by industrialist Henry Clay Frick, opened in 1935 and has since doubled its holdings through targeted acquisitions and donations. The museum is housed in a Gilded Age mansion designed by Thomas Hastings, later expanded by architect Russell Pope, with a garden by Russell Page completed in 1977.