The Ugly Duchess in the context of 1400–1500 in fashion


The Ugly Duchess in the context of 1400–1500 in fashion

⭐ Core Definition: The Ugly Duchess

The Ugly Duchess (also known as A Grotesque Old Woman) is a satirical portrait painted by the Flemish artist Quinten Matsys around 1513.

The painting is in oil on an oak panel, measuring 62.4 by 45.5 cm. It shows an old woman with wrinkled skin and withered breasts. She wears the aristocratic horned headdress (escoffion) of her youth, out of fashion by the time of the painting, and holds in her right hand a red flower, then a symbol of engagement, indicating that she is trying to attract a suitor. However, it has been described as a bud that will 'likely never blossom'. The work is Matsys' best-known painting.

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The Ugly Duchess in the context of Ugliness

Unattractiveness or ugliness is the degree to which a person's physical features are considered aesthetically unfavorable.

View the full Wikipedia page for Ugliness
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