An unknown woman
Portrait Miniature
1631 (painted)
1631 (painted)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Object Type
Strictly speaking this small oil painting is not a 'miniature'. In the 17th century a 'miniature' was a painting in watercolour on vellum (fine animal skin). This oil is painted on copper, a traditional support for very small oil paintings. Copper is very smooth, unlike canvas, and allows the artist to work with small touches to produce a particularly fine effect. When these paintings were sold in 1842 the catalogue noted they were 'finished in the finest style, like enamel, and yet with the greatest freedom'.
Frames, especially those for pictures, draw an attention to an object as well as protecting it. On this frame the plain outer mouldings contrast with the narrower but richly decorated inner moulding. It leads our eye towards the picture and emphasises it value as an object.
People
This small oil painting belonged to the notable 18th-century collector, Horace Walpole. He owned both it and its pair, and he believed them to be a self-portrait by the artist Cornelis Poelenburg, and a portrait by Poelenburg of his wife. Walpole did not buy them himself but inherited them from his father the Prime Minister, Sir Robert Walpole.
Attribution
This portrait is inscribed on the back to show the woman's age, 23, and the date it was painted, 1631. Another inscription in English, probably by Horace Walpole, indicates that he believed it to be a portrait by Cornelis Poelenburgh of his wife. This attribution has not been accepted for many decades. In the 17th century painting small portraits in oil on copper was a particularly Netherlandish tradition, but most such portraits, like this one, remain unattributed.
Strictly speaking this small oil painting is not a 'miniature'. In the 17th century a 'miniature' was a painting in watercolour on vellum (fine animal skin). This oil is painted on copper, a traditional support for very small oil paintings. Copper is very smooth, unlike canvas, and allows the artist to work with small touches to produce a particularly fine effect. When these paintings were sold in 1842 the catalogue noted they were 'finished in the finest style, like enamel, and yet with the greatest freedom'.
Frames, especially those for pictures, draw an attention to an object as well as protecting it. On this frame the plain outer mouldings contrast with the narrower but richly decorated inner moulding. It leads our eye towards the picture and emphasises it value as an object.
People
This small oil painting belonged to the notable 18th-century collector, Horace Walpole. He owned both it and its pair, and he believed them to be a self-portrait by the artist Cornelis Poelenburg, and a portrait by Poelenburg of his wife. Walpole did not buy them himself but inherited them from his father the Prime Minister, Sir Robert Walpole.
Attribution
This portrait is inscribed on the back to show the woman's age, 23, and the date it was painted, 1631. Another inscription in English, probably by Horace Walpole, indicates that he believed it to be a portrait by Cornelis Poelenburgh of his wife. This attribution has not been accepted for many decades. In the 17th century painting small portraits in oil on copper was a particularly Netherlandish tradition, but most such portraits, like this one, remain unattributed.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | An unknown woman (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Oil on copper, in a fruitwood frame |
| Brief description | Portrait of an unknown woman. Oil on copper by Cornelis van Poelenburg, oval, Netherlands, 1631. |
| Physical description | Oval portrait, head and shoulders, of a woman, turned to left and looking to front; wearing a large ruff and lace headdress. The frame is of gilt and ebonised fruitwood. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Style | |
| Marks and inscriptions | 'Aetatis Suae 23/1631' (Inscribed , sitter's name, age, and the date of the painting) |
| Gallery label | British Galleries:
Walpole believed it was important to record what he described as the 'pedigree' or 'genealogy' of the objects in his collection. Walpole inherited this portrait from his father, Sir Robert Walpole, who had one of the best collections of paintings of his day.(27/03/2003) |
| Credit line | Given by Mr W. A. J. Floersheim |
| Object history | The painting belonged to Sir Robert Walpole who probably had the frame made. It passed to his son Horace Walpole, who described it as a portrait of Cornelis van Poelenburgh’s wife ‘by him’. |
| Production | This portrait was previously said to have been painted by Cornelis Poelenburgh. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | Object Type Strictly speaking this small oil painting is not a 'miniature'. In the 17th century a 'miniature' was a painting in watercolour on vellum (fine animal skin). This oil is painted on copper, a traditional support for very small oil paintings. Copper is very smooth, unlike canvas, and allows the artist to work with small touches to produce a particularly fine effect. When these paintings were sold in 1842 the catalogue noted they were 'finished in the finest style, like enamel, and yet with the greatest freedom'. Frames, especially those for pictures, draw an attention to an object as well as protecting it. On this frame the plain outer mouldings contrast with the narrower but richly decorated inner moulding. It leads our eye towards the picture and emphasises it value as an object. People This small oil painting belonged to the notable 18th-century collector, Horace Walpole. He owned both it and its pair, and he believed them to be a self-portrait by the artist Cornelis Poelenburg, and a portrait by Poelenburg of his wife. Walpole did not buy them himself but inherited them from his father the Prime Minister, Sir Robert Walpole. Attribution This portrait is inscribed on the back to show the woman's age, 23, and the date it was painted, 1631. Another inscription in English, probably by Horace Walpole, indicates that he believed it to be a portrait by Cornelis Poelenburgh of his wife. This attribution has not been accepted for many decades. In the 17th century painting small portraits in oil on copper was a particularly Netherlandish tradition, but most such portraits, like this one, remain unattributed. |
| Bibliographic reference | Snodin, Michael (ed.), Horace Walpole's Strawberry Hill, New Haven : Yale University Press, 2009
Fig.86 |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | P.104-1931 |
About this object record
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| Record created | March 27, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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