Portrait of a Lady c. 16th century

Curator: This drawing, "Portrait of a Lady," is attributed to Giovanni Antonio Boltraffio, an artist working around the turn of the 16th century. Editor: There's a delicacy here, even in the sketchiness. A quiet dignity in the sitter's gaze. Curator: Boltraffio's known for being in Leonardo Da Vinci's workshop, and that's clear in the modeling of her face, the *sfumato* effect he achieves with just graphite. It also speaks to artistic labor in the Renaissance and the value placed on preparatory drawings. Editor: Absolutely. The drawing gives us access to the artist's process, and in turn, the sitter's place in the hierarchy of visual representation. This was about the production of status as much as it was about the production of an image. Curator: And as a physical object, the paper itself has a history – how it was sourced, prepared, and traded – that informs our understanding of the artwork. Editor: Seeing how this drawing circulated provides a keyhole view into the culture of collecting and connoisseurship. Fascinating how so much history can be conveyed through simple lines and shading.