Portrait of a lady, in a Molensteenkraag,
oil on panel, 67 x 56 cm, oval, framed

A label on the reverse states that on 23 December 1959 the National Gallery in London believed the author of this panel to be Cornelis de Vos (circa 1584–1651).

The present, refined portrayal of a wealthy woman in brilliantly Molensteenkraag or millstone ruff and intricate lace bonnet, is an outstanding example of Antwerp portrait painting in the first quarter of the seventeenth century. The rich gold and black brocade of her corset, and the wide millstone ruff were distinct fashions in Flanders, leading Hans Vlieghe to suggest a date of execution for the present portrait in the 1620s. Indeed, a dating of the present picture to around or before 1623 would be feasible given that in that year Diego Mexía Felípez de Guzmán y Dávila, 1st Marquess of Leganés (1580–1655) issued an edict in the name of King Philip IV of Spain banning the millstone ruff throughout Hapsburg lands, although the fashion lingered on in the Northern Low Countries in the independent Dutch Republic.

The heightened sense of realism imbued by the sitter’s meticulously rendered eyes which gaze out at the viewer, and the vivid tones and modeling of her flesh suggest the hand of one of Antwerp’s premier portraitists. Although the sitter is, as yet, unidentified, the sense of her character and presence, with the slightly inviting upturned corners of her mouth, remains. The reverse of the panel bears an old attribution to de Vos, however, Katlijne Van der Stighelen, author of the monograph on the artist, does not endorse this attribution leaving the authorship of the present picture an intriguing, open art historical question. She does, however, note that the level of artistic accomplishment and liveliness of the present work is astonishing.