Snowden comms.
>"Black Friars" because of the black cloak they wear over their white habits).
Came across this video of woman with a fly on her head piece from around the same time period.
Why does this lady have a fly on her head? | National Gallery
Saw this in the comments:
Joe Griffin
2 months ago
I based a college thesis on this painting 40 years ago and am enlightened to see others share some of the same conclusions. Before the Age of the Internet, it was not the prevailing theory. You too can also solve the riddle. The answer is a few lines below.
Consider the state of her lips, is it a smile or a smirk?
The bottom ring on her right hand which the artist has made most prominent, is a puzzle piece.
The Forget Me Not flower implies just that.
Look carefully at her hands and fingernails.
Answer: She is dead.
By my fading memory of a Thesis 40 years ago -
From her name, attire, and the garnet stone on her ring, we can surmise that she was an Ashkenazi Jew of the Hofner financial family, age - mid to late thirties and born in the month of January sometime in the 13th Century. Pinky rings symbolized nobility at the time and titles were sometimes granted to bankers, presumably and especially some members of the Hofner family who greatly financed the formation of early Germany. Having three titles, she would have had considerable wealth, social connections and influence, and likely commissioned the painting herself while nearing death.