Unidentified Artist, Flemish
Portrait of a Young Lady
c. 1560
Physical Qualities
Oil on wood panel, 12 x 9 in. (30.4 x 22.9 cm.)
Credit Line
Bequest of Saidie A. May
Object Number
1951.397
With her hands clasped at her waist and a steady, outward gaze, this young woman conveys the modesty and composure associated with a sitter and audience of elite status. She wears a fashionable costume with refined details, including a black gown adorned with gold buttons and ribbons, an open lace ruff, and a woven cap. Thick gold
chains sit around her neckline and waist.
Despite various attempts by scholars to identify the artist of this beguiling portrait, its attribution remains unknown. However, the distinctive costume—in addition to the artist’s meticulous attention to detail—indicates it was painted in the Netherlands in the 1560s.
The Baltimore Museum of Art by bequest 1951; The Baltimore Museum of Art on extended loan, 1933-1951 from Saidie A. May; purchased from M. Knoedler & Co., New York, 1924; formerly collection of P. J. Zurcher, Holland
The Baltimore Museum of Art, "Behold the Child, Nov. 7-Dec. 3, 1950, p. 5.
The Baltimore Museum of Art, "Saidie A. May Collection, Sept. 6-Oct. 22, 1972, ill. pp. 11 and 32.
The Baltimore Museum of Art, "Saidie A. May Collection, Sept. 6-Oct. 22, 1972, ill. pp. 11 and 32.
"A Picture Book," Baltimore: The Baltimore Museum of Art, 1955, ill. p. 23.
'Magazine Section,' "The Baltimore Sun," Sunday, 10/21/1956, p. 8, ill. p. 9.
Marguerite Droz-Emmert, Cat. rais. ,"Cathrina Van Hemessen Malerin Der Renaissance." Basil: Schwabe AG, Verlag, 2004, p. 176, ill.
Michael Archer. Composition: Uncover the ideas behind great works of modern art. London: Hachette, 2023. p. 213, ill
Artist
Unidentified Artist, Flemish
