Art Institute of Chicago

Portrait of a Young Lady

Paulus Moreelse (Dutch, 1571–1638)

Date

c. 1620

Medium

Oil on panel

Culture

Holland

Department

Painting and Sculpture of Europe

Institution

Art Institute of Chicago

The youthful subject of this portrait is bedecked in jewelry that features gold, gems, and pearls, much of which would have been imported from the Americas and the South Pacific in the early 17th century. Paulus Moreelse, who worked in Utrecht, specialized in court portraiture. The exceptional richness of this unknown woman’s dress—the intricate openwork of her lace collar and the spectacular oversized brooch—suggests that she was part of the court of the House of Orange-Nassau and thus belonged to the country’s elite.

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