The painting is the work of Anthony van Dyck, a Flemish master active at the leading European courts in the first half of the 17th century. Painted around 1634, during the painter’s stay in Brussels, it portrays Margaret of Lorraine, the young Duchess of Orléans, in flight with her husband Gaston of France after their secret and politically controversial marriage. Van Dyck translates this delicate moment of her life into an image of sovereign composure: the full-length figure, the black gown of rich fabric falling to the carpet, the whiteness of the lace and the string of pearls framing the face build an aura of refined nobility, while the red drape in the background introduces a note of solemn Baroque theatricality.
The artist enhances thepersonality of the duchess through a stable but not rigid pose, the slight turn of the torso and the direct yet reserved gaze, suggesting self-control and awareness of her rank despite turbulent events. The delicate gesture with which she holds a flower between her fingers, enriched by the sheen of the silks and the play of light on the folds of the gown, makes the portrait particularly appealing to the collector: an icon of 17th-centuryaristocratic elegance , by one of the most celebrated European portraitists and now held at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence.
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.
