Roy Precious - Antiques & Fine Art has dated this piece to the 17th Century.
The elaborate gilt frame presents this lovely little portrait like a jewel in a rich gold setting.
The young sitter is depicted in an open landscape.
This beautifully executed portrait captures the shimmering quality of the sitter's garments...
The fashionably, and expensively, dressed young lady is depicted as Diana the Huntress, goddess of the hunt, moon and birthing.
The sitter holds a bow in one hand and an arrow in the other.
The celestial character of Diana is reflected in her connection with light, inaccessibility, purity and virginity; all desirable attributes for a girl who was on the marriage market.
JAN MYTENS (1614-1670) worked in The Hague as a portrait painter for over thirty years painting those loyal to the House of Orange as well as a number of British visitors. His work was much admired and he was very influential in Dutch portraiture.
MIJTENS (MEYTENS, MYTENS):
Dutch family of painters of Flemish origin. The earliest known artist of this family was Aert Mijtens (1541-1602), a history and portrait painter who worked in Naples and Rome. His brother Martin Mijtens, a saddle and coach-maker, fled to the northern Netherlands and had two sons who also became painters: Daniel Mijtens I, who was prominent in England for a period as a portrait painter in the Stuart court, and Isaac Mijtens (c. 1602-1666), a portrait painter in The Hague. Jan Mijtens was a nephew of these brothers and father of the portrait painter Daniel Mijtens II (1644-1688). Martin Mijtens I, himself a son of Isaac, moved to Sweden where he worked as a portrait painter in Stockholm, while his son Martin van Meytens II later became a portrait painter at the imperial court in Vienna. Several other minor members of the Mijtens family established reputations as painters.
SIZE: panel 17 x 13 inches.
Frame: 24 x 20.5 inches
PROVENANCE: *English Private Collection.
With Roy Precious Fine Art.
Collection of a Fellow of a Cambridge College.
Roy Precious - Antiques & Fine Art has dated this piece to the 17th Century.
Roy and nadine precious: specialists in portraiture from the 16th to the 20th century. Established in 1972.
You can view the stock and full dealer information on the Roy Precious - Antiques & Fine Art Profile Page
Portrait of a Young Lady as Diana the Huntress C.1635; Circle of Jan Mytens
