Written by By Sana Noor Haq, CNNA 17th-century painting showing a Black woman with her White companion has been placed under a temporary export bar to reduce the risk of the artwork leaving the United KingdomThe anonymous painting, described in a statement by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) on Friday as "extremely rare," is valued at £272,800 ($362,060). The painting is also unique because both women are shown wearing similar "beauty patches," a kind of facial cosmetic adornment which was in fashion in the 17th century. The patterns on their faces marked "a sin of pride," according to the statement. "This anonymous painting is a great rarity in British art, as a mid-seventeenth-century work that depicts a black woman and a white woman with equal status. "Although not distinguished artistically, its imagery relates in fascinating ways to contemporary stereotypes of women, fashion, and, through the juxtaposition of the figures, race.

Source: CNN December 11, 2021 21:38 UTC