Portrait Of A Young Lady In Flora – Attributed To Jan Van Haensbergen (1642 – 1705)

Oil on canvas. Dutch school from the end of the 17th century, attributed to Jan van Haensbergen.
In a palatial setting bathed in the light of the setting sun, a young woman weaves a crown of flowers. If this gesture indicates a representation in the form of the goddess Flora, it is also a question of exalting the virtues of the model. Thus, the rose is the obvious symbol of love while the crown of flowers refers to innocence and chastity. The decor opening onto a shaded grove can also be seen as a garden of love whose intimate atmosphere is reinforced by the choice of an oval format. This is the fantasy image that our young elegant woman wanted to give of herself to the world. This splendor, embodied by a multitude of expensive accessories, attests both to the wealth of the patron and to the virtuosity of the painter in creating the finest details, such as this sumptuous carpet resting on the entablature and these delicate moiré fabrics. This fine manner is that of the painters of the Dutch Golden Age who intended to represent reality through the meticulous execution of objects and materials. In this respect, the author of this work must be located among the artists active in The Hague, whose art of portraiture differed from the rest of the United Provinces. Due to its status as capital, the city was in fact populated by a cosmopolitan aristocracy (made up of ambassadors and relatives of the stadtholder) who preferred the aesthetic of French portraiture to the more austere style in vogue among the bourgeoisie of the neighboring Dutch provinces. By this yardstick, the so-called “hurluberlu” hairstyle worn by our model reflects her preference for Versailles fashion from the end of the 17th century. It is to Caspar Netscher (1639 – 1684), student of Gerrit Dou, that we owe this synthesis between fine manners and international style portraiture. If his formula was emulated as far as England (Peter Lely), our painting is more likely attributable to his main epigone, Jan van Haensbergen. Indeed, his Portrait of Maria Duyst van Resnwoude painted around 1685 (Van Renswoude Foundation, Utrecht) shows great similarities with our painting, both in the treatment of materials and skin tones. An even more convincing comparison can be established between our work and a composition executed around 1676 (Christie's Amsterdam sale on 10.11.1997) where a lady, also represented in Flora in identical decorum, adopts exactly the same gestures as our model.

Our delicious young lady is presented in a period carved and gilded wooden frame
Dimensions: 39.5 x 30.5 cm - 51 x 42 cm with the frame

Biography: Jan van Haensbergen (Gorinchem, January 2, 1642 – The Hague, 10 Jan. 1705) apprenticed in Utrecht with Cornelis van Poelenburgh. He then began by painting Arcadian landscapes in a style close to his master before settling in The Hague in 1669. From then on, he devoted himself fully to the art of portraiture in a style close to Caspar Netscher in which "his touch "flattering was particularly useful to him for painting young ladies" according to Houbraken. The marriage of his daughter, Madeleine, to Constantin Netscher, son of Caspar Netscher, testifies to the closeness between the two families. Having received numerous orders from the councilors of The Hague, he directed the Drawing Academy for several years.

Bibliography:
- BUIJSEN, Edwin (dir.), Haagse schilders in de Gouden Eeuw: het Hoogsteder Lexicon van alle schilders werkzaam in Den Haag 1600-1700, The Hague, Kunsthandel Hoogsteder & Hoogsteder, 1998.
- MEISSNER, Günter (dir.), Allgemeines Künstlerlexikon: die Bildenden Künstler aller Zeiten und Völker, Vol. 67, W. de Gruyter, 2010.
- WIESEMAN, Marjorie Elizabeth, Caspar Netscher and Late Seventeenth-Century Dutch Painting, Doornspijk, Davaco, 2002.