Fine Portrait Of A Lady In A Red Silk Dress With Fur Stole, C.1675, Oil On Canvas Painting

In this portrait, painted in the era ofLondon’s Great Fire, a young woman has been depicted wearing the most luxuriousattire and a fortune in jewellery.  Thescarlet silk drapery is held in place by two huge gold and pearl brooches.  A huge diamond, pearl, and gold brooch is onthe bodice, and perhaps most striking of all, is the heavy band of gold, ruby,and pearls prominently displayed over the fur. The huge pear-shaped earrings are called unions d’excellence, reflectingthe difficulty of finding perfectly matched pearls of such large size (theycould range up to 20 millimetres in diameter). The costume and jewellery are of course indicative of this woman’swealth and this portrait certainly conveys that message.  The window, through which the viewer can seea blue sky and a landscape, ads interest and depth to the portrait, and wasoften used in portraiture at the time. 

The close-curled hair, springing loosely awayfrom the head, was a fashion of the 1670s and was known as the hurluberlu(first appeared c.1671).  This, and theattire, help to date the portrait to circa 1675-1688.  In the celebrated letters of Madame deSévigné when describing the style accounted “Now just imagine the hair partedpeasant fashion to within two inches of the back roll; the hair each side iscut in layers and made into round loose curls which hang about an inch belowthe ear; it looks very young and pretty - two bouquets of hair on each side...a large curl on top which sometimes falls down the neck.” The placement of thedelicately rendered hand is reminiscent of the work of Van Dyke. 

The artist was immensely adept at the oiltechnique of painting.  The face, hands,and the drapery have been rendered with remarkable delicacy; note the carefullyplaced highlights to the eyes and the bottom lip.  Huysmans’ proficiency in depicting the richcolours and the treatment of the materials, and the soft glossy finish to theskin, is a signature trait.  His exuberantstyle particularly appealed to the Portuguese-born Queen Catherine – he was hermain painter and his many portraits of her are particularly celebrated.  Our portrait is a remarkably fine examplefrom this distinguished artist. 

Jacob Huysmans (circa 1633–1696) emigrated toEngland from Antwerp, prior to the Restoration in 1660, and gained recognitionas a distinguished court painter and was regarded as a significant rival to thecourt painter Peter Lely.  He was theuncle of Cornelis and Jan Baptist Huysmans, both of whom were landscapepainters. His earliest record of his presence in England date to 1662.  Initially, he specialised in creatingpastiches in a reduced format of history paintings inspired by the works ofAnthony van Dyck. Through his artistic endeavours, he subsequently secured aposition as a portrait painter at the court of Charles II.  The notable diarist Samuel Pepys visitedHuysmans’ workshop and described Huysmans talents as surpassing those of Lelyand remarked that both the portraits of the Queen and the maids of honour wereamong the finest he had ever seen.  

Huysmans died in Jermyn Street, London, in1696, and was interred at St. James’s Church in Piccadilly, a church for whichhe had previously created an altarpiece for the aforementioned Queen’s chapel. 

Upon re-lining this canvas indistinct text(including “King Charles ?”) was uncovered on the reverse (see photo).   

Measurements: Height 92cm, Width 78cmframed (Height 36.25”, Width 30.75” framed)