Portrait of a young woman, half length, wearing a black dress with molensteenkraag, lace cuffs and bonnet

Portraits such as the present picture are rare in the oeuvre of the artist, who, like his father Adam, specialised in marine painting. Three other portraits by him are known; the first, signed and dated 1639, is in the Alte Pinakothek, Munich, inv. n01097; the second, dated 1644, is in the Centraal Museum, Utrecht and the third, dated 1660, is in the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge. They come close in style to the portraits of Jan van Bijlert, of whom Willaerts was a pupil.
Sold with a report by Willem van de Watering, dated 28 April 1997.