A very pretty bust length portrait of a lady circa 1690, oil on canvas. At the time it became very popular for upper class women to have portraits painted of themselves wearing “undress” which was a form of loosely fastened clothes and fabrics over a voluminous chemise. The clothing in these portraits is not representative of what was worn on the street or at court. This romantic style was commonly used by whom many consider to be the greatest portraitists working in England during the 17th century, Peter Lely and Anthony van Dyck.The overall style and type is in line with the English studio appearance; this fine example is from the circle of the Dutch artist Jan van der Vaart who worked with Willem Wissing and later took over this studio. The fluid handling shows all the vigour and style of the artist, the clear fresh palette and beautiful rendering. The beautiful young sitter is likely a daughter or wife of a member of King William and Queen Mary’s court. In a good 18th cen...