This sublime work is an outstanding example of portraiture by one of the most successful native English artists of the seventeenth century. It is even more remarkable that John Michael Wright was highly sought after by patrons from the upper echelons of society, amongst the legions of foreign-born artists working in England at the time. His Italianate flavour was unlike any other artist’s work in England, his lively faces were individualised, and he painted a much superior likeness than his contemporaries such as Peter Lely.In this touching composition, painted around the time of London’s Great Fire in 1666, a young woman is represented as a confident and alluring individual. At first sight it appears to be a straightforward portrait of a woman dressed in contemporary clothing, the image – and specifically, the direct gaze and the long hair – borders on the erotic (at least by 17th century standards); it is in fact laden with aesthetic and allegorical allusions, possibly with mu...