Lot 2014 Dα

This fine portrait shows great psychological insight as well as great solemnity: the lady's expression is both humane and formal at the same time. Her dress is beautifully decorated with gold and silver brocade, creating an almost abstract, modern effect.
The rings she wears, the rose on the table (a sign of love) and the irises (purity) suggest that this work was created on the occasion of an engagement or wedding.


Although the painting is clearly Spanish (there are many analogies with the oeuvre of Jorge de la Rua, for example, and also Juan Pantoja de la Cruz, although he belongs to a later generation), it also contains very clear Flemish and Nordic influences. Painters such as Pieter Pourbus, Frans I Pourbus, Willem Key and above all Anthony Mor Van Dashorst were very popular and well-known at the Spanish and Habsburg courts.