17th Century English School - A Boy With Yellow Dressings

A beautiful 17th-century English school portrait depicting a young boy draped in yellow silk. The handsome sitter is shown half-length, within a fictive laurel wreath, his head slightly turned, his gaze fixed on the viewer. With his pale complexion, languid eyes, rosy cheeks, and full lips, he perfectly embodies mid-17th-century beauty. His blond hair, cut in a square and parted in the middle, reveals his eyebrows and cheeks. Rather than wearing the fashion of the time, the young man sports a more general drape, typical of painting from the 1650s onward. His white shirt, with puffed sleeves at the cuffs, might suggest contemporary fashion, but his gold belt suggests that he is actually wearing a tunic, similar to a Persian garment. Her ample cloak of shimmering yellow silk is more akin to a costume, and the timeless gesture of the hand that ties it across her chest lends her a gravity reminiscent of Roman attire. This pose is inspired by the work of Van Dyck, whose series of etchings *Icones Principum Virorum* was widely circulated and greatly admired. It is logical that an artist in Van Dyck's circle would favor a similar aesthetic—that of theatrical drapery and "costume"—rather than that of fashion. This high-quality portrait, richly colored, is in excellent condition. It is ready to hang in a more recent, high-quality "Lely" style gilt frame. High-resolution images are available upon request. International shipping. I would like to extend special thanks to Jacqui Ansell, costume historian and former lecturer at Christie's Education, for her detailed information and analysis of fashion and costume. High-resolution images are available upon request. International shipping. Provenance: Private collection, Belgium. Canvas: 70 cm x 65 cm. Framed: 86 cm x 74 cm.