Probably, “Lady in Furs” – the first work of El Greco, created by him in Toledo, preserved to this day. According to the manner of writing, this production is close to the portrait of Vincenzo Anastasi, written by the master during his short stay in Rome, as well as to paintings created immediately after moving to Spain.
Luxurious furs, a cloud enveloping a young beauty, are written in free and energetic strokes, in a manner reminiscent of Titian’s works. Dark locks, located obliquely, visually impart volume and reality to the image.
It is not known for certain who depicted in the portrait, however, when the work was created, and the free, even intimate interpretation of the female image, and the age of the young lady in the portrait, suggests that the artist portrayed Geronima de las Cuevas, his constant companion of life, Jorge Manuel’s mother, son of the artist.
Also for a long time this portrait was attributed to other artists – Tinoretto, one of the court portraitists Alonso Sanchez Coelho, also a Cremona portraitist Sophonisbe Angisole, the first known art critic of the Renaissance. Cezan believed this picture to be the best female portrait in the whole world painting, and copied it many times.
