17th Century Dutch School Portrait Of A Young Lady - Circle Of Paulus Moreelse (1571-1638)

A highly elaborate, museum quality 17th century Dutch oil on panel portrait of a young lady circa1630 by an artist in the circle of Paulus Moreelse.
The enigmatic sitter is depicted half length wearing a heavily embroidered dress and wide winged lace collar. Her shimmering silk dress is heavily embroidered with gold and silver thread and its sleeves are puffed and slashed with bows upon them.
Other lavish emblems of her wealth include a double stringed pearl necklace, gold chain and the gem set brooch at her busom. Both her costume and costly accessories speak of a lady at the pinnacle of Dutch society.
In direct contrast to this ostentatious outward show of wealth, is the sitter within this finery. Her hair is worn loosely up sans adornment and across her sensitively rendered face is a knowing expression. This is an individual that continues to speak to us almost four hundred years after she was painted.

Paulus Moreelse (1571 - 1638).
Paulus Moreelse was one of the most eminent portrait painters in the city of Utrecht, receiving commissions from the great and the good across the Dutch Republic. He was a pupil of the Delft portrait painter Michiel Jansz. van Miereveld, whose influence can be seen in Moreelse’s keen attention to detail and realist approach to the portrayal of his sitters.
Early in his careerMoreelse travelled to Italy, where he would have been exposed to and copied the Italian greats. By 1596 he was back in Utrecht and he became a member of the saddlers’ guild - a painters’ union - and in 1611, along with Abraham Bloemaert was a founder member of a new artists’ guild, the ‘St. Lucas-gilde’. Moreelse was a dedicated citizen of Utrecht, he was active in the city’s politics and urban development; an accomplished architect, he was responsible for the design of several prominent buildings in his native Utrecht, including the Cathatijnepoort (1626, demolished c.1850) and the Vleeshuis on Voorstraat from 1637 (still extant).

Higher resolution images on request.
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Canvas: 27" x 21" / 69cm x 54cm.
Frame: 35"x 29" / 89cm x 74cm.