A formal portrait of a woman by Lavinia Fontana

The question of attributing such a ceremonial portrait is complex, as many painters travelled the courts of Europe in search of prestigious commissions: Spanish, Italian and Dutch artists influenced one another and produced portraits for which one must first determine which ‘school’ they belong to and then scrutinise the work’s finest details. The hairstyle, as well as the size and opulence of the ruff – given that the godrons here are made of lace – allow us to date this portrait to between the late^16th century and the early^17th century.

It is likely that this portrait formed a pair with a male portrait, as is the case with some held in museums (Portraits of Daniël van der Meulen and Hester della Faille, by Bernaert de Rijckere (1535–1590), Museum De Lakenhal, Leiden). As for the overall appearance of the painting, the highly stylised pose is found not only in the works of court painters such as Sánchez Coello, Sofonisba Aguissola at the Spanish court (Portrait of the Infanta Isabella Clara Eugenia, Museo del Prado), as well as among Flemish painters such as Frans Pourbus the Younger (1569–1622) and, of course, Peter Paul Rubens. Experts at the INHA have attributed the painting to the Italian school, specifically to Lavinia Fontana (1552–1614).

However, if one looks closely at the details of the costumes, the portrait held at Aulteribe Castle bears a resemblance to a portrait of a woman painted by Peter Paul Rubens around 1609–1610 (Madrid, Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum). Both subjects wear a gold chain around their hips, tied with a ribbon. The rendering of the face, on the other hand, remains very different, as the skin tone is uniform in the Aulteribe portrait. The accessories – bracelets, a gold chain held in place by a ribbon – suggest a connection between our painting and the Northern European school. Such jewellery does indeed appear to be found only in Dutch and Flemish portraits of the late^16th and early^17th centuries, as in the Portrait of Susanna van Meckema by an anonymous painter, dated 1600–1625, held at the Groninger Museum. In the latter, the sitter also wears a gold chain, held at the waist by a ribbon, just as in the portrait of Adriana van Nesse by Salomon Mesdach.

Comparing our painting with the one that appeared at public auction (Christie’s, London, 30 April 2005), a portrait of Maria Vertemata, dated 1594 and attributed to the circle of Frans Pourbus the Younger (1569–1622), Aulteribe’s portrait appears quite similar in its characteristics.

However, one might also draw parallels with the work of Lavinia Fontana. A celebrated portraitist from the late 1580s onwards, she received major commissions, not only from noblewomen but also from prominent men and scholars. The leading families of Bologna commissioned portraits from her, which she painted between 1575 and 1585. Later, having settled in Rome and turned her hand to religious painting, Pope Clement VIII appointed her court painter, a role in which she again produced numerous portraits. Her name cannot be entirely ruled out in connection with the Portrait of Costanza Sforza of Santa Fiora (1550–1617), wife of Giacomo Boncompagni, dated 1594, which came up for public auction (Uppsala Auktionskammare, Sweden, 14 June 2016). The quality of the rendering of the fabrics in particular suggests that the work may be by this recently rediscovered painter.

Blaise Ducos, The Ceremonial Portrait at the Dawn of the Grand Siècle. Between the Habsburgs, the Medici and the Bourbons. Paris, Faton, 2011.

’s portrait, attributed to Lavinia Fontana (1552–1614), in the RETIF database of the National Institute of Art History.