Portrait of a Woman in an Armchair, ca. 1642 – 1645

About the Work

Like Frans Hals, Verspronck was a gifted portrait painter working in Haarlem in the mid-seventeenth century. The oblique view with the head turned outwards lends spontaneity to this portrait of a lady, who seems to be sitting up in her chair to look in our direction. The millstone ruff, bonnet, lace-trimmed sleeves and inconspicuous but multiple and varied pieces of jewellery discreetly emphasise the affluence of this self-confident patrician woman. The portrait thus perfectly satisfies the demand for status representation typical of Dutch society at that time.