suora lavandaia

The canvas is a pendant to the Gardener Nuns and both were probably part of a series of genre paintings depicting the work and activities of the Poor Clares. The painter was a Franciscan friar and often tried his hand at painting scenes of the work of his brothers and sisters, following a typical fashion of the time. The bright faces of these Poor Clare women indicate his aptitude for portraits and caricatures, and the liquid, fine touch painting harks back to the prototypes of Piazzetta and, of course, the example of Tiepolo.