It is a Baroque portrait of extraordinarysolemnity, painted by Anthony van Dyck in 1621 and dedicated to Isabella Brant, first wife of Peter Paul Rubens, to whom the work was offered as a gift before the young painter left for Italy. The figure, seated in a red armchair and wrapped in a heavy black mantle framing the embroidered gold bodice and pale ruff, stands out with strong sculptural presence against the architectural background of a triumphal arch, probably an allusion to the garden portico of Rubens's house in Antwerp.
The slightly turned body, the tapering hands holding a feather fan and a small flower, and the light gliding over the brocade sleeves and jewels create a refined balance between courtly splendour and domestic intimacy. The great red curtain, raised like a stage curtain, introduces a theatrical note that emphasises the sitter's social role, while the stormy sky and the loggia in the distance extend the space beyond the edge of the canvas, turning the portrait into a kind of scene representing the dignity and grace of its subject.
Unique quality material
Print on handmade Amalfi paper Sheet size: 29 x 42 cm (11.4 x 16.5 in) With frame: 31 x 44 cm (12.2 x 17.3 in) Material: artwork printed on very fine handmade Amalfi paper with deckled edges Frame: light brown beech wood and wood pulp, handmade
How an Amalfi art print is made, what the frame is like, what museum glass is, how long shipping takes, and how returns work: we’ve gathered all the answers on a single page.
