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Portrait Of A Lady With A Fan C.1656; Circle Of Willem Drost (1633-1659)

Object description :

"Portrait Of A Lady With A Fan C.1656; Circle Of Willem Drost (1633-1659)"

This impressive large-scale portrait depicts a lady wearing an elaborate costume with a lace collar and matching wrist collars, fashionable circa 1650. The extraordinary costume with its costly fabric is of the highest quality and de rigueur for the upper class and mercantile citizens. As usual in Dutch dress of this period, the overall impression is one of understated luxury. Dutch society was very conscious of material excesses and the black attire in portraits was intended to reflect this (although this was not the dominant colour for everyday apparel). Ironically, black was one of the most expensive colours to make and maintain and was thus reserved for the most formal occasions (including having one's portrait painted).

Artists had an array of stunning black fabrics and a wide range of textures to depict with clothing far from boring, often intricately detailed, with various fabrics contrasting with each other and with all manner of designs and patterns. The lace is a clue to her family’s wealth; lace collars varied considerably within certain periods and were prized possessions, often listed in inventories of estates and passed down from generation to generation. The fan in her hand was another status symbol as was the generous amount of gold jewellery. These details are usually faithful reflections of the sitter's own clothing in Dutch formal portraits; an item such as the cap would have been lent to the artist if both parties found it convenient. The one depicted here was probably the sitter's own.

The Dutch Golden Age of painting was a period in Dutch history, roughly spanning the 17th century, in which Dutch trade, science, military, and art were among the most acclaimed in the world. By the time this painting was painted the Netherlands was the richest country in the world. Dutch explorers charted new territory and settled abroad. Trade by the Dutch East-India Company thrived, and war heroes from the naval battles were decorated and became national heroes. During this time, The Dutch Old Masters began to prevail in the art world, creating a depth of realistic portraits of people and life in the area that has hardly been surpassed. This new wealth from merchant activities and exploration combined with a lack of church patronage, shifted art subjects away from biblical genres. Still lifes of items of everyday objects, landscapes, and seascapes reflecting the naval and trade power that the Republic enjoyed were popular. The new wealthy class were keen to have their portraits commissioned and thus many artists worked in this lucrative genre.

According to the inscription in the upper right portion of the painting the lady was 22 years of age when the portrait was painted in 1656. It is possible that this portrait is a pendant to that of her husband-to-be, given that she wears a ring on her engagement finger. In which case the portrait could have been commissioned to mark this event.

With such precision to the rendering of the face, and the realism achieved, this is a fine example from the period. Held in an ebonised style antique frame.

Willem Drost (c.1633-1659) was a Dutch Golden Age painter and printmaker of history paintings and portraits thought to have been born in Amsterdam. Around 1650, he became a student of Rembrandt, eventually developing a close working relationship, painting history scenes, biblical compositions, symbolic studies of a solitary figure, as well as portraits. He was active in Amsterdam in 1650 to 1655 before going to Italy where he worked up to 1659.

Drost’s known oeuvre is small but he worked closely in the style of his master, so much that in recent years scholars have now reattributed a number of Rembrandt's paintings to him. Even though the bulk of his known work is similar to Rembrandt, his “Portrait of a lady with a fan in her hand” (signed and dated 1654, private collection Zurich) and “Portrait of a woman” (signed and dated 1653, private collection The Hague, Museum Bredius, inv./cat.nr. 40-1946) bear striking similarities to our portrait.

Measurements: Height 126cm, Width 101cm framed (Height 49.5”, Width 39.75” framed)