Portrait of a Lady

Cornelis Janssens van Ceulen · c. 1630

Medium

Oil on copper

Original size

5.6 × 4.5 cm (2 3/16 × 1 3/4 in.)

Currently held

Art Institute of Chicago

Movement

Baroque

Portrait of a Lady radiates the quiet dignity and psychological intimacy that defines the finest British portraiture of the early seventeenth century. Cornelis Janssens van Ceulen was a Dutch-born painter who built much of his career in England, where he became one of the most sought-after portraitists before Anthony van Dyck's arrival at court. His technique was meticulous and his sensibility notably warmer than many contemporaries — he had a gift for rendering fabric, lace, and flesh with equal conviction. Painting on copper rather than canvas, as he did here, allowed him to work at finer detail and achieve a luminous, jewel-like quality that canvas simply cannot match. Copper was a favoured support among Netherlandish masters of this period precisely because its smooth surface rewards patient, precise brushwork — the kind Janssens van Ceulen consistently delivered. Our hand-painted oil reproduction is executed on traditional canvas, faithfully translating the painting's muted palette, delicate lace collar, and the sitter's composed, watchful expression — giving you the presence and intimacy of this rare work in a format suited to any home.