Unknown Artist
The portrait depicts a woman suffering from a condition known as hirsutism, which is an excessive hairiness in those parts of the female body where hair is normally absent or minimal. Such oddities portrayed by Baroque painters attracted interest of the public and collectors alike, who very often included such images in their cabinets of curiosities.
The visit of the hirsute “bearded virgin” Helena Antonia in Wrocław in 1621 was a major sensation, documented in the featured portrait and two other images once in the collections of St Elizabeth’s Library and the Bernardine Library. The portrayed Helena Antonia (her last name is unknown), was born in 1579 in the Bishopric of Liège and brought up at the court of Archduchess Maria of Styria, consort of Archduke Charles II of Graz. In 1605, as a lady-in-waiting to Mary’s daughter Archduchess Constance, she arrived in Cracow in her retinue and took part in the ceremonial procession preceding Constance’s marriage to King Sigismund III Vasa of Poland. The portrait shows her dressed according to Spanish fashion in a silvery-grey dress decorated with golden stripes, a ruff collar edged with lace and lace cuffs, her head covered with a close-fitting cap.
We present today's painting thanks to the National Museum in Wroclaw. Thank you! <3 It's another example of a portrait of a hairy person; in the past we have featured similar paintings in DailyArt. Check them in our archive! Moreover, you can see more bearded paintings from art history here.