Skip to main content
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 13

Circle of Gerard Soest
Portrait of a Lady with Crimson Wrap & Fur c.1675 Fine Dutch Old Master Painting

Circa 1675-1681

About the Item

This exquisite portrait, presented by Titan Fine Art, was painted in the era of London’s Great Fire - a young woman has been depicted wearing the most luxurious attire and a fortune in jewellery. The scarlet silk drapery is held in place by two huge gold and pearl brooches. A huge diamond, pearl, and gold brooch is on the bodice, and perhaps most striking of all, is the heavy band of gold, ruby, and pearls prominently displayed over the fur. The huge pear-shaped earrings are called unions d’excellence reflecting the difficulty of finding perfectly matched pearls of such large size (they could range up to 20 millimetres in diameter). The costume and jewellery are of course indicative of this woman’s wealth and this portrait certainly conveys that message. The window, through which the viewer can see a blue sky and a landscape, ads interest to the portrait, and was often used in portraiture at the time. The artist was immensely adept at the oil technique of painting. The face, hands, and the drapery have been rendered with remarkable delicacy; note the carefully placed highlights to the eyes and the bottom lip. The precise identity of the artist remains elusive however it is clear that they were exceptionally talented. Of the legions of Dutch emigree artists working in England at the time, only a small selection has ever been studied in depth and identified by art experts and historians, leaving the identity of the vast majority unknown to us today, despite some possessing skills on par with the most celebrated artists that we know. This portrait falls into that category… and is a remarkably fine example from the period. The close-curled hair, springing loosely away from the head, was a fashion of the 1670s and was known as the hurluberlu (first appeared c.1671). This, and the attire, help to date the portrait to circa 1675-1688. In the celebrated letters of Madame de Sévigné when describing the style accounted “Now just imagine the hair parted peasant fashion to within two inches of the back roll; the hair each side is cut in layers and made into round loose curls which hang about an inch below the ear; it looks very young and pretty - two bouquets of hair on each side... a large curl on top which sometimes falls down the neck.” The placement of the delicately rendered hand is reminiscent of the work of Van Dyke. Upon re-lining this canvas indistinct text (including “King Charles ?”) was uncovered on the reverse (see photo). Known as Zoust by his contemporaries, Gerard or Gilbert Soest (circa 1600 – 11 February 1681) was a portrait painter who was active in England during the late 17th century. He is most famous for his portraits of William Shakespeare and Samuel Butler, but painted many members of the English gentry. He was born in Soest, Westphalia, in the early part of the first decade of the seventeenth century, circa 1601/1602 (he was noted by Charles Beale as "neare 80 years old when he died"). Nothing certain is known of his training or of his work in Holland, but his later style suggests links with the Utrecht school. Soest may have come to London as early as 1644 and was certainly there by 1650. His studio was first near Lincoln's Inn Fields, then in Southampton Buildings, north of the Strand. He was a painter of exceptional distinction and enjoyed good patronage after the Restoration. His work expressed the human, rather than purely social values, of his sitters, and it is these qualities that can be seen in our portrait. His work was chiefly on a head-and-shoulders scale but he also painted in three-quarter-length and full lengths, too. He died in London on 11 February 1681. Measurements: Height 92cm, Width 78cm framed (Height 36.25”, Width 30.75” framed)
  • Creator:
    Circle of Gerard Soest
  • Creation Year:
    Circa 1675-1681
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 36.23 in (92 cm)Width: 30.71 in (78 cm)Depth: 1.97 in (5 cm)
  • Medium:
  • Movement & Style:
  • Period:
  • Condition:
    The condition is very good and can be hung and enjoyed immediately. The painting has passed a strict condition assessment by a professional conservator prior to going on sale.
  • Gallery Location:
    London, GB
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU1199113364672

More From This Seller

View All
Portrait of a Gentleman in Grey Coat & White Cravat, Oil on canvas Painting
Located in London, GB
This exquisite work, presented by Titan Fine Art, is by the notable artist Hans Hysing, who was a noteworthy painter in England; it is significant in its q...
Category

18th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Portrait of Gentleman in Armour by Table & Helmut c.1685 Aristocratic Provenance
By Johann Kerseboom
Located in London, GB
Portrait of a Gentleman in Armour beside a Table with Helmut c.1685 Follower or circle of Johann Kerseboom (d.1708) This exquisite Grand Manner work, presented by Titan Fine Art, wa...
Category

17th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Portrait of Catherine Murray, Countess of Dysart, Roses, Gilded Frame, Van Dyke
By Anthony van Dyck
Located in London, GB
This exquisite Grand Manner work, presented by Titan Fine Art, is an evocative example of the type of portrait in vogue during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Beautifully ...
Category

17th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Portrait of a Lady in White Chemise, Russet & Blue Drapery c.1695, Oil Painting
By Harman Verelst
Located in London, GB
This lavish portrait, painted circa 1695, is an exquisite example of the type of portrait in vogue during the last quarter of the seventeenth century. It is evident that the artist ...
Category

17th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Portrait of a Gentleman in Scarlet Robe Holding Flowers c.1675, Oil on canvas
Located in London, GB
Titan Fine Art present this striking portrait, which was painted by one of the most talented artists working in England during the last half of the 17th century, John Greenhill. Gre...
Category

17th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Portrait of a Lady in Green Dress & Pearl Jewellery c.1660 Painting John Wright
By John Michael Wright
Located in London, GB
In this exquisite work, painted around the time of the Great Fire of London in 1666, a beautiful young woman is wearing a green dress over a white chemise and a russet-coloured scarf...
Category

17th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

You May Also Like

Portrait of a Gentleman
Located in New York, NY
Circle of Jacques-Louis David (French, 18th Century) Provenance: Private Collection, Buenos Aires Exhibited: “Art of Collecting,” Flint Institute of Art, Flint, Michigan, 23 November 2018 – 6 January 2019. This vibrant portrait of young man was traditionally considered a work by Jacques-Louis David, whose style it recalls, but to whom it cannot be convincingly attributed. Rather, it would appear to be by a painter in his immediate following—an artist likely working in France in the first decade of the nineteenth century. Several names have been proposed as the portrait’s author: François Gérard, Louis Hersent, Anne-Louis Girodet (Fig. 1), Theodore Gericault, and Jean-Baptiste Wicar, among others. Some have thought the artist Italian, and have proposed Andrea Appiani, Gaspare Landi...
Category

18th Century Old Masters Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

17th Century by Giuseppe Assereto Portrait of an Elderly Woman Oil on Canvas
By Giuseppe Assereto
Located in Milano, Lombardia
Giuseppe Assereto (Genova - 1626 ca – Genova 1656/57) Title: Portrait of an elderly woman, possible portrait of Maddalena Massone, wife of Gioacchino Assereto Medium: Oil on canvas D...
Category

Early 17th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

17th Century by Juan Alfonso Abril Head of St Paul Painting Oil on Canvas
Located in Milano, Lombardia
Juan Alfonso Abril (active in the 17th century in Valladolid, Spain) Title: Head of Saint Paul Medium: Oil on canvas Dimensions: without frame 48.5 x 62 ...
Category

Early 17th Century Old Masters Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

19th century portrait painted in St Petersburg in 1819
Located in London, GB
Signed, inscribed and dated, lower right: 'Geo Dawe RA St Petersburgh 1819', also signed with initials, lower centre: 'G D RA'; and signed and inscribed verso: 'Geo Dawe RA Pinxit 1819 St Petersburgh'; Also inscribed on the stretcher by Cornelius Varley with varnishing instructions. Collections: Private collection, UK, 2010 Literature: Galina Andreeva Geniuses of War, Weal and Beauty: George Dawe...
Category

19th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

17th century Dutch portrait of a Lady in Red adorned with Pearls
By Pieter Nason
Located in Bath, Somerset
Portrait of a lady, half-length in a feigned oval wearing a ruby coloured silk gown holding entwined strings of pearls across her bodice. Signed 'PNason' and dated 1667 (lower right)...
Category

17th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Young Girl with a Basket of Fruit
By Jean-Baptiste Greuze
Located in Paris, Île-de-France
French School, late 18th century, circle of Jean-Baptiste Greuze (1725–1805) Young Girl with a Basket of Fruit Oil on canvas, preparatory work, 39 x 31 cm Provenance: Private colle...
Category

1790s Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Recently Viewed

View All