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ANTIQUE #SA1110967

17th Century English Portrait Of A Lady C. 1670 - Circle Of William Wissing (1656 - 1687)

£18,000    $22,413    €21,620
A fine, rare and large scale 17th century portrait of an elegant raven-haired beauty by an artist in the circle of William Wissing.
 
The noble sitter (traditionally identified as Louise de Kérouaille, Duchess of Portsmouth) is depicted three quarter length seated upon a bank in front of a rocky outcrop with an extensive wooded valley landscape beyond.
 
She appears delightfully deshabille, expensively dressed in the high status and fashionable brightly coloured silk clothing of the period. Gold or saffron coloured robes such as the one worn by our sitter were extremely fashionable and costly, Her white chemise is trimmed in lace and her costume has a low and wide neckline that reveals her décolletage, it also has jewelled fastenings
 
To complete the look her hair is worn in curls, some of which are piled vertiginously atop her head, whilst others cascade naturalistically around her bare shoulders. It is also worth noting the expressive use of the sitters lower arms as a focus of attention and site of erotic appeal, as she caresses a glistening string of pearls between her fingers.
 
Throughout the 17th century there was a thriving trade in pearls, which were transported from Asia to Europe. The Golf of Manner (between South India and Sri Lanka) was one of the pearl diving hotspots of the period. Divers would weight themselves with heavy stones to plunge into the depths, and they often had to retrieve as many as 1000 oysters before they discovered a single pearl.
 
With her jewel studied dress, pearl hair ornaments, earrings, and necklace, it his clear that this noble lady had wealth in abundance.
 
William Wissing (1656-1687) Willem Wissing, known in England as William Wissing, was a Dutch portrait artist who worked in England. He was born in either Amsterdam or The Hague, and studied at The Hague under Willem Doudijns (1630–97) and Arnoldus van Ravestyn (1615–90). In 1676, ...
Antique #SA1110967, shown on this page, originates from the 17th century. For historical context, the timeline below highlights the period when it was made:
←C17th
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Specialist dealer in portraits from the 17th century to the 20th century. Our stock includes quality oil paintings, drawings, and mezzotints
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