\paperw19995 \margr0\margl0 \plain \fs20 \f1 Here Bellini takes up the Flemish motif of reflections in a mirror and interprets it in a limpid and classical style, typica
l of the last phase of his career.\par
The young womanÆs body is modeled by the delicate relationship between the light entering from the window, opening onto a serene landscape, and the semi-darkness of the interior.\par
The bright color and rigorous
division of the surfaces, evident in the bare wall and the transparent vase on the windowsill, testify to the kind of research that was being carried out in Venetian painting at the beginning of the sixteenth century.\par
The mirror is not used to multi
ply the views, but to create geometric parallels, emphasizing refine details such as the pin in the womanÆs hair. The body is depicted in a modest fashion with softly defined outlines and a piece of cloth casually draped over her nudity.\par
The effect
of the painting as a whole is based on variations in color intensity under the changing play of light. This is most evident in the relationship between the green meadow and the brocade wrapped around the womanÆs hair with its green embroidery standing
out against the deep blue of the background. This in turn matches the color of the sky, which gradually lightens toward the horizon. A scroll bearing the painterÆs signature and the date of the work, 1515, is on the table covered by a cloth richly embr
oidered with geometric patterns that looks as if it has simply been dropped there.
