Portrait alleged to be of Anne Whateley (in fact likely to be Girolamo Casio) 1495

This portrait was painted by Giovanni Antonio Boltraffio in the late 15th or early 16th century, and may not depict Anne Whateley. It is more likely to be a portrait of Girolamo Casio, a poet known to have been painted by Boltraffio. Portraits during this time, particularly of women, were often less about capturing the individual and more about presenting an ideal of beauty or virtue. If this were Anne Whateley, it would have been meant to signal something about her status or role within society. However, if it is the poet Casio, the portrait speaks to the patronage of the arts. Regardless of the sitter's identity, the painting invites us to consider the fluidity of identity and representation. Who do we think we see, and what stories do we project onto the canvas? The ambiguity challenges us to reflect on the complex interplay between appearance, identity, and historical narrative.