Domenica delle Cascine, Justus Suttermans

Domenica delle Cascine, la Cecca di Pratolino, and Pietro Moro, Justus Suttermans (1634)

Here, Justus Suttermans carefully portrayed three servants from the household of the ruling Medici family of Florence. Detailed wisps of hair, observant treatment of wrinkles and skin tones, and garments of varied textures and patterns present them as specific individuals: Domenica delle Cascine (at left), la Cecca di Pratolino (at center), and Pietro Moro (at right). In a time when portraiture signaled the power and status of those depicted, this painting stands out as a rare representation of those who served.

In the Medici court, the two women provided food. One of them is recorded as performing as a jester. Pietro Moro’s status and role are less understood today and research continues. It is almost certain that he was enslaved when he arrived in Florence. The painting was made at Medici command, referred to in a letter as a recreation. None of the three figures were in any position to give consent to be painted. Their representations are defined by the power structures of their time. They exemplify portraiture’s heralded ability to make the absent present.