Cornelis Jonson van Ceulen (London 1593-1661 Utrecht)

Portrait of Maria Thielen (1605-1682), half-length, in a black dress and beaver hat, a ruff, lace cap and an embroidered partlet, in a feigned marbled oval

Details

Cornelis Jonson van Ceulen (London 1593-1661 Utrecht)
Portrait of Maria Thielen (1605-1682), half-length, in a black dress and beaver hat, a ruff, lace cap and an embroidered partlet, in a feigned marbled oval
signed and dated 'C.J. fecit- 1634' (lower right); inscribed 'LVC.1.47. FRAY IN DEVCHT IN GODT VERMEVCHT.' (upper left); with coat-of-arms and further inscribed 'MARIA DIE FRAEYE 1634' and 'Æt Suæ.29.' (upper right)
oil on panel
31 x 24¾ in. (78.7 x 62.7 cm.)

Provenance

Acquired from Thomas Agnew & Sons, London, in 1913, by Weetman Pearson, 1st Viscount Cowdray.

Literature

Cowdray Park Catalogue, London, 1919, p. 4, no. 9 (in the Vestibule).
C. Anson, A Catalogue of Pictures and Drawings in the Collection of The Viscount Cowdray, London, 1971, p. 2, no. 6, plate 12 (in the Vestibule).

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Lot Essay

Maria de Fraye, the granddaughter of the Middelburg merchant and humanist Johan Radermacher, married Willem Thielen (for whom see the previous lot).

Maria Thielen's costume combines Dutch and English elements, with a large ruff that is typically Dutch, but can also be seen in portraits of English gentry women at this date. While the blackwork parlet appears characteristically English, though slightly out of date, it can also be seen in 17th Century Dutch portraits.

We are grateful to Jan van Helmont for his assistance in researching this sitter, and to Susan North for her thoughts on the sitter's costume.

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