Portrait of an unknown lady in a ruff. Oil painting, style of Johannes Cornelisz Verspronck, ca.1630-1635.

Portrait of a woman, three-quarter length, seated to left and looking to front, wearing a black dress with a black and gold embroidered stomacher, lace cuffs, a white cartwheel ruff, lace cap, wearing pearl earrings and holding a black feather fan. In an architectural setting with a landscape in the left background.

Bequeathed by Claude D. Rotch

Bequeathed by Claude D. Rotch

John Guille Millais; Raoul Millais; C. D. Rotch; bequeathed to the Museum in 1962.

This portrait was previously thought to have been painted by 17th century Haarlem School artist, Johannes Cornelisz. Verspronck (1597–1662). Verspronck was the second son and student of portraitist Cornelis Engelsz. Verspronck (1575-1650). While little is known of his training, it is likely that he was an apprentice in the studio of Frans Hals (1582-1666). It is certain that Hals was an influence on Verspronck‘s restrained style of portraiture. Verspronck was made a member of the Haarlem Guild of St Luke’s in 1632. He is known to have painted around 100 portraits during his career, of both Catholics and Calvinists. His early works are characterised by a harder modelling of flesh and more colourful palette. The influence of Rembrandt is evident in Verpronck’s later works, in which he employs a more subtle chiaroscuro.

A note in the Departmental Object File (undated but before 1978) records that Dr Horst Gerson, Director of the Rijksbureau voor Kunsthistorische Documentatie, professor of art history at Groning University and an authority on Netherlandish art “was inclined to the view that this [P.50-1962] is a late 17th century copy of a painting of the earlier part of the century.” The note goes on to say that Gerson believed the attribution to Verspronck to be tenuous on the basis that “(a) Verspronck seems to be a better painter – e.g. his hands are always ‘expressive’ – with rougher handling [of paint], even on the young woman” and “(b) the landscape background doesn’t appear in any of the accepted Verspronck”.

In his 1973 Catalogue of Foreign Paintings in the Victoria and Albert Museum, vol. I. Before 1800, Michael Kauffman expanded upon this, noting that the use of a landscape background in Dutch portraiture did not develop until the later seventeenth century (see references).

The unidentified sitter’s dress, including a cartwheel ruff, gold and black embroidered stomacher and lace cuffs and cap were all typical of Dutch fashions of the 1630s. The black open-fronted overgown or vlieger worn by the sitter was strictly reserved for married women during the period.

The clothes worn by the unidentified woman in this Dutch 17th century portrait are typical of the fashions popular in the Netherlands in the 1630s. The portrait was traditionally thought to be the work of Dutch Golden Age artist, Johannes Cornelisz. Verspronck. However, the use of landscape backgrounds in portraits did not develop until the second half of the 17th century and it is probable that the painting dates from this later period.

P.50-1962