Portrait of an Old Woman (1506–1508), 68×59 cm, oil on canvas, Accademia, Venice. Among the many portraits of the Renaissance, most depict young and beautiful noblewomen, handsome and elegant social elites, kings, doges, wealthy men, heroes, or lords. However, Giorgione painted this haggard old woman. With solid, realistic, and exquisite technique, she appears lifelike, standing by a wall in a three-quarter view facing us. Her aged face, questioning and vacant eyes, large nose, slightly open mouth, slack features, and forehead filled with the marks of time (wrinkles); the folk traditional white cap on her head revealing fluffy, pale hair—all show traces of a life weathered by hardship. She wears simple green and white peasant clothing, has sturdy shoulders, and holds a white paper strip in her right hand inscribed with "and years," pointing to her chest, as if telling people, "I am Time." This is not, of course, about displaying the mature beauty of women or life; within the artist's profound philosophical and religious faith, it clearly metaphorizes the experience of youthful years flowing like water, serving as a verification of what Leonardo da Vinci said: "Painting is something of the inner spirit."