Period Portraits has dated this 17th Century Oil Portrait to the 17th Century.
Fine and jewel like oil on panel portrait of Queen Henrietta Maria c.1635 by an artist in the circle of Van Dyck.
In this jewel like oil on panel we see the rouged cheeks and red lips of which the Puritan public disapproved, and also the ‘lovelock’ hairstyle - a single curling ringlet dangling down and inviting amorous fingers to play with it.
Such a low neckline is unusual in depictions of the monarch, except for those which she is whine wearing a crown to denote her high status. It is likely that this is the reason why this small corm is included, as it is an unusual feature.
Several Van Dyke portraits of Henrietta Maria reveal the same diagonal sweep of jewels over the chest, it being held in place by being intertwined with a horizontal string of pearls. The jewels are diamonds and we can see this from their square shape and the fact that they are table cut. Pearls such as this were worn to to accentuate the pearlescent quality of a woman’s complexion. Here they emphasise the rounded breast between which a circular jewel has been placed defying logic. Stripped of the usual cloth that would cover the breasts there is little space for the jewel to be pinned.
The overall effect is sumptuous and well as suggestive. It may also relate to another unusual feature of the sitters costume in the from of a high and wide waistline, which seems indicative of pregnancy, and although this was a regular feature of Henrietta Marias life throughout the 1630’s it is seldom seen in her iconography.
Period Portraits has dated this 17th Century Oil Portrait to the 17th Century.
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School of Van Dyck - 17th Century Oil on Panel Portrait of Queen Henrietta Maria (1609-1669).
