Portrait of a Woman, possibly Isabella Cattaneo Della Volta Imperiale

Artist: Anthony van Dyck (Belgian, 1599 - 1641)

Original Dimensions: 29 1/8" x 23 3/4"

Location: National Gallery of Art, London

About Artwork: (About 1625-7) "The dark red curtain in the background gives a warm, luxurious atmosphere to this portrait and complements the sitter’s auburn hair and sparkling brown eyes. The rose – traditionally a nuptial flower – tucked over her ear accentuates her beauty and might suggest that this engaging young woman is married. This painting from the collection of the prominent Cattaneo family in Genoa was acquired as a companion piece to Van Dyck’s Portrait of Giovanni Battista Cattaneo Della Volta, which is also in the National Gallery’s collection. The woman was assumed to represent the wife of the male sitter. However, pendant portraits of husband and wife in this period were almost invariably painted with the sitters facing each other, so it is highly unlikely that these portraits were conceived as a pair. Genealogical research now suggests that the woman in this portrait is a different member of the Cattaneo family. Fittingly, the sitter is drawing attention to her long gold necklace with her right hand, which might be a play on the family name, as Cattaneo phonetically recalls catena, the Italian word for chain." - (National Gallery of Art, London)