This lavish large-scale portrait, painted circa 1675, depicts a beautiful woman seated beside a flowering jardiničre and a swag curtain. It contains symbolism that was typical of portraiture at the time. The prominent sprig of orange blossom that she is holding is a traditional representation of marriage and eternal love in art, but it also alludes to youth and freshness, and by virtue of the great expense and difficulty with which it was grown in England in the seventeenth century, to great wealth. To the lady’s right is a column and to her left is a swag curtain, both symbols of wealth. Bearing a similarity to Dutch artist Sir Peter Lely in pose this portrait retains a French elegance. The artist was strongly influenced by Henri Gascars who had a great influence on British art in the later 17th century having painted almost all the leading women of the court. Even Peter Lely, who had dominated British art for quite some time, felt threatened by his success. Gascars’ painting...