Portrait of a Woman Aged Sixty-Eight
Maerten de Vos·1569
Historical Context
Maarten de Vos's Portrait of a Woman Aged Sixty-Eight, dated 1569, depicts an elderly woman with her age inscribed on the panel — a common Netherlandish portrait convention. De Vos was one of the leading painters in Antwerp after the deaths of Pieter Bruegel the Elder and Frans Floris, heading a large workshop that produced altarpieces and portraits for an international clientele. He studied in Italy under Tintoretto before returning to dominate the Antwerp art market.
Technical Analysis
The oil on panel shows de Vos's precise, detailed portrait style with careful rendering of the sitter's aged features and elaborate costume. The sharp focus and dark background concentrate attention on the face and hands, while the inscribed age follows the Netherlandish tradition of documentary portraiture.
Provenance
Lionel Arthur Henry Seymour Dawson-Damer, 6th earl of Portarlington [1883-1959], Emo Court, near Emo, County Laois, Ireland; (sale, J. & R. Kemp at New Chenil Galleries, London, 21-25 November 1927, 2nd day, no. 273). (E. Parsons & Sons, London), in 1932. Justice Harlan Fiske [1872-1946] and Agnes Harvey [1873-1958] Stone, Washington, D.C.; (sale, C.G. Sloan & Company, Inc., Washington, D.C., 12-16 May 1959); Mary K. Karasick, Washington, D.C.; gift to her daughter, Edith Karasick Bralove [1914-2015]; her estate; gift 2015 to NGA.
