Caspar Netscher, 'Portrait of a Lady and a Girl', 1679

A portrait of unknown people – like this one – always prompts questions, but the picture itself lets us learn about a sitter, even if we don't know their identity. At this time in European art, very little was included in a portrait without a purpose. They sometimes flattered, but also gave information about the sitter – their status, their likes and dislikes, their allegiances, their mood perhaps – and often celebrated events like military victories, promotions, anniversaries or marriages.

In Caspar Netscher’s painting, the hand resting gently on the little girl’s shoulder suggests that the woman is most likely her mother. There is a faint likeness: the little girl still has the rounded cheeks of childhood, but the eyes and mouth of the two are similar. They wear the soft, relaxed fashions of the 1670s and 80s – rich fabrics swathed around the body, with a little delicate white linen and lace to flatter pearly skin. The mother’s neckline is a little lower than the child’s, but is modest compared to portraits of more ostentatious women. They do wear pearls, however, which would have been natural. In the case of the mother’s necklace they’re perfectly round and beautifully matched, and therefore very costly.

Netscher was famous for his brilliant representation of rich fabrics, particularly the satin of both gowns here. These are perhaps dulled a little with age and dirt, and have lost their original sheen, but are still sumptuous. The pair are dressed in high fashion but it is restrained in design and colour, intended to show a refined taste, borne out by the dignified posture of the mother and the unusually plain hairstyle of the girl. Netscher worked in The Hague, the aristocratic centre of government of the Netherlands, so this would suggest the sitters are from an aristocratic family.

Although the painting has darkened it’s possible to make out an orange tree in the background. Mother and child both hold an orange and there are more on the mother’s lap. The ruling family of the Netherlands was the House of Orange and perhaps the sitters were their supporters.