The Portrait of Ana Davila

Ana Davila (1834-1874), born Racoviță, was the fifth child of a family that descended from the ruling families of Știrbei, Cantacuzino and Racoviță. The elegant dress revealing her shoulders and the jewelry she is wearing reflect the influence of Western fashion that had penetrated the Romanian territories in the second half of the 19th century. The portrait shows her from the front, dressed in a sober dark velvet dress, whose austerity is not softened by the narrow, fine white lace that borders her neckline. Her hair is combed back, arranged in two 'curly waves' that fall to her shoulders. She has a fine oval face, a large, rounded forehead, bright black eyes and a melancholic expression; on her sculptural neck she is wearing a gold necklace.