Portrait of a Couple

Portrait of a Couple is a portrait painting by Italian Renaissance artist Niccolò dell'Abbate, dated to c. 1537–1540. It is now in the Musée des Beaux-Arts of Strasbourg, France. Its inventory number is 641.[2]

Portrait of a Couple
Artist	Niccolò dell'Abbate
Year	between 1537 and 1540
Medium	oil painting on canvas
Movement	Italian Renaissance Portrait painting
Subject	Giulio Boiardo, count of Scandiano, and his wife, Silvia Sanvitale
Dimensions	76 cm × 64 cm (30 in × 25 in)[1]
Location	Musée des Beaux-Arts, Strasbourg
Accession	1914

The painting depicts the count of Scandiano, Giulio Boiardo, of the House of Boiardo, and his wife, Silvia Sanvitale. It was bought in 1914 for the museum by Wilhelm von Bode with an attribution to Dosso Dossi, and that attribution (to Dossi or his circle) was maintained until 1997. Only since that date is the painting attributed with certainty to a young dell'Abbate, who painted it in Modena at the time when he was also working on other commissions for the Boiardo's palace, the Rocca dei Boiardo. The former title of the painting was A Duke of Ferrara and his Wife.[1][2]

The double portrait of the count and countess is most unusual in that the emphasis is very much placed on the wife, who is depicted in the act of closing a book that she was just reading, while her husband almost timidly approaches from behind. It appears as a testament to Giulio Boiardo's admiration and love for Silvia Sanvitale's strong intellect and personality.[1][2]