French School, Portrait of a Lady in a black dress with white cuffs and high collar, 1580s

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This exquisite, hitherto unpublished, portrait is inscribed on the reverse 1575, a date which accords well with the fashion of the sitter. Although the relatively austere black dress and the cool grey background point to a northern, Flemish school of painting, the overall concession to elegance, in particular the sitter’s demur characterisation, strongly suggests a French artist.
The excellent condition of this picture allows us to see French sixteenth century portraiture at its best. Fortunately, almost none of the original paint and glazing has been lost through earlier restoration, and the panel has remained stable. Here, the sitter’s head is finely observed, and painted with all the precision of a miniature; the modeling around the eyes, nose and mouth, for example, is closely executed. And yet, for all its technical sharpness, the portrait presents an unusually informal view of the sitter. The face is portrayed with subtle, delicate colouring. The alert eyes and slight movement in the mouth convey a sense of quiet contentment – a view not often seen in French court portraiture.
It is possible that the picture is by a member of the Dumonstier family, in particular Etienne Dumonstier (c.1540-1603). Unfortunately, very little is known of his oeuvre, and there is little comparative material. We do know, however, that Etienne was employed at court as an artist and diplomat between 1596 and 1599, and at one point (in 1586) was being paid more than his contemporary, Francois Clouet. Some surviving drawings attributed to Etienne show close similarities to the present picture in the construction of the sitter’s faces, such as the Duc de Mayenne at the Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris, in particular a similar approach to the eyes, lips and nose. A painting of a gentleman attributed to Etienne at Christies (London 11th March 1995) also shares stylistic similarities to the present picture in its light, fine handling.
It has not yet been possible to identify the sitter. She is most likely to have been a lady present at court in the later sixteenth century, but not, if the simplicity of her dress is a guide, of the first rank. A label on the reverse suggests the picture has traditionally, if implausibly, been identified her as Anne of Brittany, wife of Charles VIII and Louis XII.

French School

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