Jan (Johannes) Mijtens. Portrait of an Elderly Lady, 1645 - continued

The extraordinary quality of the portrait – in particular the depiction of the woman's face – further substantiates our attribution. The strong lines of the sitter's mouth, the subtle light on her nose, the appealing realism of her furrowed brow, the gentle flush of her cheeks and her dark, intense eyes: all demonstrate an uncommon level of skill. The woman's expression – as though she is surprised by something the artist has just said – is in delightful and vibrant contrast to her full, sensual lips, creating a strong sense of the dynamics at play.

Clothing

The woman's wrinkled face suggests 56 is a plausible age, and combined with the type of collar she is wearing – see below-, it would appear that the inscription is, in all probability, authentic.

The woman's clothes are another intriguing element of this painting. Her double-folded square neckerchief, her undecorated cuffs and her head covering (a black 'tipmuts') could indicate that she belongs to a rather conservative religous circle, possible the 'doopsgezinden', Baptists (1). Some scholars argue that the black tipmuts is traditionally mourning attire, but there are several examples that suggest this is far from certain (2).

The double-folded square neckerchief our subject wears was a common garment, popular from the sixteenth century until as late as the nineteenth century. It became particularly fashionable between 1615 and 1620 in the northern Netherlands, falling out of favour around the mid '30s. If we are to believe the inscription on the back of our portrait, the lady in our picture is wearing this collar in the mid '40s. This is not an uncommon phenomenon in Dutch portraiture: elderly women are often depicted wearing the clothing that was fashionable in their youth. Examples of this can also be found in the portraits of Aeltje Uylenburg and Margaretha de Geer by Rembrandt (3).

Technical research

Although the surface of the 'Portrait of an Elderly Lady' was dirty when it was acquired by the present owners, underneath the grime it was in a fairly reasonable state. We had strong doubts about the color in the background of the painting. It was decided to take a closer look, with the help of a professional restorer.

The surface of the painting was thoroughly and carefully inspected. We soon discovered that the background of the portrait had been significantly overpainted. Close examination of the paint layers and analysis of the pigment, combined with the vast experience of the restorer, provided us with sufficient arguments to have the old overpaintings removed until the thin and slightly damaged layer of the original background reappeared, revealing why the earlier restorations had taken place. Luckily, the most important parts of the painting – the face, hands and dress – had hardly been damaged nor restored in 350 years.

By removing the old layers of varnish and overpainting the portrait increased significantly in quality and appearance, and some subtle yet pleasing details reappeared, including the suggestion of depth: whereas before the subject appeared in one plane with the oval frame above her, she now seems to be leaning slightly out of it towards the viewer.

In line with current restoration ethics, the painting's owners and the restorer decided to reconstruct the background by filling the areas between the remaining original paint with a restoration paint that precisely matches the original colour. This process was executed with materials that make the restoration completely reversible. The result is an attractive portrait that has been restored to its former seventeenth-century glory.

Your research project

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Notes


1. We are gratefull to Jacoba de Jonge (costume specialist, Amersfoort, The Netherlands) for sharing her observations on the clothing with us. Written comment, July 27th 2009.
2. One example can be found in Eddy de Jongh, Portretten van Echt en Trouw (exhibition cat. Frans Halsmuseum, Haarlem), Haarlem 1986, p. 155.
3. Rembrandt, Portrait of Aeltje Uylenburgh, 1632, Panel 74 x 56 cm. Private Collection, on loan to Mauritshuis, The Hague. Rembrandt, Portrait of Margaretha de Geer, Wife of Jacob Trip, 1661, canvas 75.3 x 83.8 cm. London, The National Gallery, inv. NG5282. For descriptions of these portraits including comments on the clothing see Rudi Ekkart, Quentin Buvelot, Hollanders in Beeld. Portretten uit de Gouden Eeuw (exhibition cat. Mauritshuis, Den Haag; National Gallery, London), Den Haag/London, pp. 186 – 187, pp. 204 – 207.
4. Jacob Backer, Portrait of Sara de Bie, second wife of the Goldsmith Jan Lutma (1594 – 1666), ca. 1646. Panel 93 x 73 cm. Monogram middle right, " JAB". Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, inv. SK-A-3517.