"Renaissance Faces" at the National Gallery

This 1523 painting by Lorenzo Lotto, "Marsilio Cassotti and his Wife Faustina," is one of the works that will be featured in an exciting exhibition of Renaissance portraiture to be held at the National Gallery in London from October 15, 2008 to January 18, 2009. "Renaissance Faces: Van Eyck to Titian" will gather 70 paintings, along with statues and drawings, from all over Europe. Highlights include works from Ghirlandaio, Van Eyck, Titian, Raphael, Botticelli, Holbein, Dürer, Pontormo and Bellini. The National Gallery website has a description of the exhibition, along with a pictorial sampling of the works; the New York Sun ran a short interview with the new director responsible for organizing the show. There must be a Clouet or two in the mix, but even if there isn't, the show promises to be a marvelous one. Unfortunately, I don't think trip to London in the next few months is in the cards for me. If anyone does get a chance to view the exhibition, please come back and tell us about it!

If I believed in portents, I'd latch on to the title of the portrait above: Marsilio, the husband, shares the name of the antagonist in The Measure of Silence; Faustina is the name of one of the female characters in the Fontainebleau novel I'm working on now. Might a two-book deal be in the stars? If only....