The Jewish Bride and Oriental Concubine: Raphael's Donna Velata and La Fornarina

Summary

The sitter for Raphael's La Donna Velata (The Veiled Woman), 1514–1516 (Fig. 1) and La Fornarina (The Baker's Daughter), 1518–1520 (Fig. 2) has been identified by some scholars as the artist's lover, Margherita Luti. Whether or not they depict the same woman, the two works differ in that one female appears to be a Jewish bride, whereas the other is in the costume of an Oriental concubine. With these two paintings Raphael created a dichotomy of sacred and profane portraiture by depicting one woman as a dignified clothed figure and the other as an erotic nude. This essay examines signifiers within the paintings that hide and reveal the model's name, her possible Jewish ethnicity, and her possible relationship to the artist. Raphael created depictions of an exotic Eastern lover that later would serve as prototypes for nineteenth-century French Orientalist paintings and literary works.

Subtle differences between the facial features of these two women suggest that they may not be the same model. The dis crepancies between the portraits can, in part, be explained because of their diverse support systems. The veiled woman was created on canvas, while the nude was rendered on a wood panel. Ostensibly, this variance in material accounts for the softer more diffused execution of the clothed figure, while the hardness of the wood produces a delineated line in the other. Nevertheless, the greater contrast between the two women is that one is clothed, while the other is nude; one is modest, the other is anything but.

The formality of La Donna Velata resembles other portraits by Raphael, such as Maddalena Doni (1506), and her husband, Agnolo Doni (1506), who married in 1503. The two panels function as wedding portraits. Similarities between the two females include a three-quarter view, the inclusion of hands, elaborate jewelry, and detailed fabric on the sleeves. Most descriptions of Donna Velata explain that her veil means she is married; yet, Maddalena, who is wedded, does not wear the same type of heavy veil. None of Raphael's portraits of women, married or otherwise have large opaque veils. La Donna Gravida (1506) wears a snood, as does La Muta (1507). The only female figure whom Raphael depicts with a full veil is the Virgin Mary. The resemblance between Raphael's Sistine Madonna, 1512–13 (Fig. 3) and La Donna Velata is well recognized.