Artwork
Portrait of a Woman, possibly Elizabeth Boothby
Portrait of a Woman, possibly Elizabeth Boothby is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Cornelis Janssens van Ceulen. It dates from 1619 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
About this work
The dark background makes her face stand out, and the lace collar looks almost three-dimensional.
This painting shows a woman with pale skin and light brown hair pulled back. She wears a fancy collar made of lace and a dark red dress with a patterned sleeve. A red feather sits in her hair, and her lips are slightly parted in a calm smile.
The dark background makes her face stand out, and the lace collar looks almost three-dimensional. The painting was made in 1619 by Cornelis Janssens van Ceulen.
Check out the technique: chiaroscuro to see how light and shadow create depth in paintings.
Technique & Style
Portrait of a Woman, possibly Elizabeth Boothby is executed in oil paint on panel, a support typical of small-scale English portraiture of the early seventeenth century. The work measures 65.7 cm in height by 56 cm in width. Painted by Cornelis Janssens van Ceulen in 1619, it is classified as a portrait painting and is held by the Cleveland Museum of Art.
History & Provenance
The portrait is dated 1619 by the artist Cornelis Janssens van Ceulen, placing its creation during his early period in England.
It entered the Cleveland Museum of Art as accession 1973.185, indicating acquisition in 1973. The painting is recorded as a portrait in oil on panel, consistent with seventeenth-century English practice for individual likenesses.
Overview
Cornelis Janssens van Ceulen painted Portrait of a Woman, possibly Elizabeth Boothby in 1619. This oil painting from the Dutch Golden Age captures a specific individual, whose identity is believed to be Elizabeth Boothby. The work is now part of the collection at The Cleveland Museum of Art, representing a key period in Anglo-Dutch portraiture.
Subject & Meaning
The painting features a woman with fair skin and light brown hair neatly styled away from her face. She wears an elaborate lace collar over a dark red gown with a patterned sleeve, and a red feather adorns her hair. Her lips are slightly parted, conveying a serene expression. The title suggests the sitter is likely Elizabeth Boothby, offering a glimpse into early 17th-century English society.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
Cornelis Janssens (born Cornelis Janssens van Ceulen, Dutch:; bapt. 14 October 1593 – bur. 5 August 1661) was an Anglo-Dutch painter of portraits. Born of Dutch or Flemish parents who fled to London from Antwerp to…
- Portrait of a Woman, possibly Elizabeth Boothby
Portret van een vrouw
Portrait of Susanna Temple, Later Lady Lister
Portrait of Lucretia del Prado, Wife of Jeremias Boudinois
Portrait of Antoinette Walleran (1598-?)
Portrait of a Young Lady
Ellen Maurice (1578–1626)
Portrait of Anna Boudaen Courten (1599-1622)
Portrait of a Lady holding a Book
Portrait of Hortensia del Prado (died 1627), Wife of Jean Fourmenois
Portrait of Catharina Fourmenois (1598-1665)
Portrait of a woman, probably Maria Schuurman (1575-1621)