Portrait of a lady in a bejewelled dress and headdress

Workshop of François Clouet
France
before 1520 – 1572

Portrait of a lady in a bejewelled dress and headdress
c.1572
oil on panel
This work of art is currently undergoing provenance research.
Please see our Provenance page for more information.
Place made
Paris
Medium
oil on panel
Dimensions
89.3 x 64.6 cm (panel)
Credit line
Gift of Shane Le Plastrier through the Art Gallery of South Australia Foundation 2017. Donated through the Australian Government’s Cultural Gifts Program
Accession number
20176P142
Signature and date
Not signed. Not dated.
Provenance
Purchased by Vincent Giles from Christie’s, London, 9 July 2008; Purchased by Shane LePlastrier from Bonhams, London, 12 March 2014, lot 10.
Media category
Painting
Collection area
European paintings

  • WALL LABEL: Portrait of a lady in a bejewelled dress and headdress, c.1572

     

    Sadly, the identity of this striking young woman is not known to us today, although from her dress and long flowing hair we can deduce that she is an unmarried woman of considerable social status and wealth.

     

    Recent conservation studies have revealed two interesting pieces of information about this work. Firstly, the construction of the timber panel confirms the French origin of the work and has also affords us a more accurate date. The work had previously been dated 1550s–1560s, but the particular method of securing the three separate timber panels indicates the work must have been created after 1570. Secondly, and perhaps more interestingly, is the revelation of the significant overpainting of the sitter’s dress: her exaggerated puff sleeves are a later addition to the work, the original sleeve caps being much less ostentatious.

     

    Tansy Curtin, Curator of International Art Pre-1980

  • Reimagining the Renaissance

    Art Gallery of South Australia, 20 July 2024 – 13 April 2025
  • [Journal] Articulate.