Portrait of a Lady in Blue

Gazing modestly to the left, this sitter avoids direct eye contact with the viewer. Although her identity is unknown, her facial features remain distinctive – with large shining eyes, a long nose and rosebud mouth set within an elegant oval face framed by tight, tiny curls. Her hairstyle imitates the much-admired ringlets of Queen Henrietta Maria of France (1609–69), the consort of King Charles I (1600-49). Pearls and gemstone brooches adorn her blue gown, complemented by voluminous orange puffed sleeves and a bronze satin stole draped over one arm. The whole ensemble reflects the height of court fashion, a clear expression of the sitter’s social standing in seventeenth-century Britain. In the 1920s, remnants of the artist’s signature (C. J.) were discerned in this portrait, though these traces are no longer visible today.

Cornelius Johnson (van Ceulen) I (1593-1661) was born in London to Netherlandish parents. His grandfather originally came from Cologne, or ‘van Ceulen’, hence the reference to the city in the artist’s name. Johnson probably trained in Holland before returning to London to become one of the leading portrait painters, ahead of the arrival of the Flemish artist Anthony van Dyck (1599-1641) in 1632. Throughout the 1620s Johnson produced numerous portraits, including of royal figures and courtly sitters – like this one. He was awarded the title of ‘His Majesty’s servant in the quality of Picture drawer’ by King Charles I. After the outbreak of the English Civil War, Johnson left again for Holland in 1643, where he remained.