Michiel van Miereveld, 'Portrait of a Woman', 1618
About the work
Overview
Michiel Jansz. van Miereveld was one of the most successful portrait painters of the early decades of the seventeenth century. He was a favourite at the Dutch court, and his profile was such that Charles I tried – unsuccessfully – to tempt him to come to London.
This portrait, which is (now very faintly) signed and dated just above the sitter’s left shoulder, is a good example of why he was so popular. It’s painted with flattering precision. The sitter’s face, framed by the white collar, seems almost radiant – van Miereveld used the light reflected from the elaborate ruff to neutralise the shadows. He also subtly matched the background to the colour of her eyes.
We don’t know who she is, though her rich jewels suggest she was a wealthy woman. Our only clue is a fragment of paper stuck to the back of the picture with the remains of an inscription. It reads: Cad(..) rello / ...rta (.) (p?) rello.
Key facts
Details
- Full title
- Portrait of a Woman
- Artist
- Michiel van Miereveld
- Artist dates
- 1567 - 1641
- Date made
- 1618
- Medium and support
- oil on wood
- Dimensions
- 61.6 × 50.5 cm
- Inscription summary
- Signed; Dated
- Acquisition credit
- Bequeathed by George Fielder, 1908
- Inventory number
- NG2292
- Location
- Not on display
- Collection
- Main Collection
Provenance
Additional information
Text extracted from the ‘Provenance’ section of the catalogue entry in Neil MacLaren, revised and expanded by Christopher Brown, ‘National Gallery Catalogues: The Dutch School: 1600–1900’, London 1991; for further information, see the full catalogue entry.
Bibliography
-
1960Maclaren, Neil, National Gallery Catalogues: The Dutch School, 2 vols, London 1960
-
1991Maclaren, Neil, revised by Christopher Brown, National Gallery Catalogues: The Dutch School, 1600-1900, 2nd edn (revised and expanded), 2 vols, London 1991
-
2001
C. Baker and T. Henry, The National Gallery: Complete Illustrated Catalogue, London 2001
About this record
If you know more about this painting or have spotted an error, please contact us. Please note that exhibition histories are listed from 2009 onwards. Bibliographies may not be complete; more comprehensive information is available in the National Gallery Library.