Spanish school; late 17th century.
"Portrait of a lady as an allegory of tempus fugit".
Oil on canvas. Re-drawn.
It presents restorations.
It has inscription of the name of the portrayed.
Measurements: 97,5 x 75,5 cm; 103 x 80 cm (frame).
The upper area of the work offers the viewer a great deal of information that allows the viewer to know the identity and life of the protagonist of the scene, as the coat of arms of the family to which she belonged appears and an inscription where it is shown that Doña Margarita was born in 1673 and died in 1701 at the age of 27. This reference turns the work into an allegory of life, making mention of the idea of Tempus Fugit, in relation to the high mortality rate of the time. The lady protagonist is depicted bust-length, portrayed in her finery: a lavish brocade dress and large jewels covering her body, fingers and even her hair. One of the most characteristic features of the image is the gesture of the protagonist holding her right index finger to her temple, warning the viewer to think and reflect on the fleetingness of life.
In the 17th century, the panorama of European portraiture was varied and wide-ranging, with numerous influences and largely determined by the tastes of both the clientele and the painter himself. However, this century saw the birth of a new concept of portraiture that would evolve throughout the century and unify all the national schools: the desire to capture the personality and character of the human being, beyond his external reality and social rank, in effigy. During the previous century, portraiture had become established among the upper classes and was no longer reserved solely for the court. For this reason, as the 17th and even more so in the 18th century, the formulas of the genre became more relaxed and moved away from the ostentatious and symbolic official representations typical of the Baroque apparatus. On the other hand, the 18th century reacted against the rigid etiquette of the previous century with a more human and individual conception of life, and this was reflected in all areas, from furniture, which became smaller and more comfortable, replacing the large gilded and carved pieces of furniture, to the portrait itself, which came to dispense, as we see here, with all symbolic or scenographic elements in order to depict the individual rather than the personage.