Lavinia Fontana painting rediscovered in Douai museum

A painting long attributed to Pieter Pourbus has been reattributed to Lavinia Fontana by art historian Philippe Costamagna. The work, 'Ritratto di un gentiluomo, della figlia e di una domestica' (Portrait of a Gentleman, His Daughter, and a Maid), had been in the storage of the Musée de la Chartreuse in Douai, northern France, since its donation in 1857 by physician Enée-Aimé Escallier. Costamagna, a specialist in Mannerism, noticed the painting during a scientific committee meeting for the museum's study of its Italian collection last year. His stylistic and philological analysis revealed hallmarks of the Bolognese school, including the depiction of a maid as a co-protagonist with dignity equal to the aristocratic subjects. The painting, an oil on canvas about one square meter, had never been restored, aiding the attribution. Lavinia Fontana (Bologna, 1552 – Rome, 1614) was a pioneering female professional painter, known as 'Pontifica Pittrice' for her work for Pope Gregory XIII, and was the first woman to paint altarpieces and a female nude on commission. After her death, her legacy was marginalized by art historiography until the 20th century. Recent rediscoveries include a 2023 exhibition at the National Gallery of Ireland, a record auction of her 'Ritratto di Antonietta Gonsalvus' for €1.5 million, and a miniature attributed to her in January 2025. This new attribution corrects historical oversight and adds to the understanding of late 16th-century art.