England, 17th century / c. 1657
Portrait of Mrs. Leneve
The Cleveland Museum of Art catalogs Portrait of Mrs. Leneve as painting (England, 17th century · c. 1657).
Long, slender fingers signified aristocratic elegance when this portrait was painted.
A CLOSER LOOK
The museum identifies this painting as oil on canvas and credits Peter Lely (British, 1618–1680).
The museum's collection notes: This woman’s heavily lidded eyes, fleshy chin, and slender fingers conform to 17th-century ideals of beauty, but when the museum acquired this painting in 1942, her features had been extensively overpainted to bring her more in line with modern standards of beauty. This later intervention included lowering the sitter’s eyebrows, reducing her prominent eyes and lips, and adding curls to make her forehead appear smaller. Mrs. Leneve now appears as the fashionable artist Peter Lely originally intended.
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE
The Cleveland Museum of ArtPortrait of Mrs. LeneveOriginal explanation based on the sources above. Images carry their own reuse terms.