Portrait of a Lady

Portraiture was one of the most sought-after genres of painting in The Netherlands during the Golden Age. As the merchant class accumulated wealth through trade with the East, they were eager to be painted by leading artists to symbolize their social status and display family lineage. Painters produced meticulous, accurate portraits of middle-class patrons. Austere black dress with crisp white collars was the fashion, and the inclusion of precious jewels, like this lady’s brooches, gold chains, bracelets, and rings, demonstrated her family’s wealth. This portrait of a respectable female member of Dutch society, her identity now unknown, was likely accompanied by a pendant portrait of her husband. The sitter’s pose is slightly angled to the left, presumably toward her husband, while she faces the viewer.