Bust of a Daughter of Ferdinand I
by ARCIMBOLDO, Giuseppe, Oil on wood, 44 x 34 cm
This painting belongs to a series of busts of Ferdinand I’s daughters (and of Anna, the daughter of Maximilian II) which includes a total of seven paintings of varying formats and styles. All seven paintings are attributed to Arcimboldo.
The concordance of the individually represented archduchesses is only given tentatively. It seems that the painter may have worked from drawings, possibly from a different hand.
The present portrait probably represents Archduchess Magdalena, the unwed archduchess vowed to live her life under the spiritual guidance of the Jesuits.