Lot 109: Nicolaes Elias, called Pickenoy (Amsterdam circa 1588-circa 1655) Portrait of a lady, standing, three-quarter-length,

Portrait of a lady, standing, three-quarter-length, in a black dress and white collar, holding a glove
oil on panel
130 x 99.3cm (51 3/16 x 39 1/8in).

PROVENANCE:
Collection of William Bradish-Ellames, Little Marlow Manor, Buckinghamshire, circa 1900, and thence by family descent to the present owner

It is thought that Pickenoy first studied under Cornelis de Voort, who, like Pickenoy's father, the monumental mason, Elias Claesz. Pickenoy, had originally come from Antwerp. Soon after 1624 he succeeded to de Voort's position as the leading portrait painter of the upper echelons of Amsterdam society. His works are distinguished by fairly sharp contours and softer shadows, combined to give the impression of an attractive realism, alongside his particular ability in the depiction of textiles.