ATTRIBUTED TO JAN CORNELISZ. VAN 'T WOUDT | Portrait of a Lady, three-quarter length, wearing a black costume with a white ruff and bonnet

oil on panel, oval; inscribed and dated upper right: 'AEtatis / A? 160'

Mrs. Mortimer, London;
By whom (anonymously) sold, London, Christie's, 4 December 1931, lot 51 (as Van Vliet), for 10 Guineas, to Fink;
Lewis J. Ruskin, Scottsdale, Arizona;
By whom given to the Art Gallery of the University of Notre Dame, Indiana, in 1958 (inv. no. 58.13);
By whom sold, New York, Christie's, 7 October 1993, lot 18;
There acquired by the present owner.

Chicago, University of Chicago, 'Sobriety and Elegance in the Baroque,' 5 April — 10 May 1961, no. 1 (as Michiel van Mierevalt).

'Checklist of the Collections: Art Gallery, University of Notre Dame,' Indiana 1973, p. 29, inv. no. 58.13 (as Michiel van Mierevelt).

Painting is cradled and comprised of three panels with two vertical joins. The joins are visible on the front, and run from top to bottom though they do not appear to be separated. The painting presents an elegant image with an uneven varnish that may have resulted in some spots of inconsistencies like on the background at center left of the sitter's arm. Some of the detail on the darker hues have sunken. Really minor tiny dots of loss that are barely visible are on the panel, such as on the white ruffles the sitter wears, background, and the joins. Inspection under UV is difficult to read due to a milky varnish, though it is possible that there is some spots of retouching like on the aforementioned joins. Painting is offered in a black wood frame with red faux tortoise shell that is peeling.
The lot is sold in the condition it is in at the time of sale. The condition report is provided to assist you with assessing the condition of the lot and is for guidance only. Any reference to condition in the condition report for the lot does not amount to a full description of condition. The images of the lot form part of the condition report for the lot provided by Sotheby's. Certain images of the lot provided online may not accurately reflect the actual condition of the lot. In particular, the online images may represent colours and shades which are different to the lot's actual colour and shades. The condition report for the lot may make reference to particular imperfections of the lot but you should note that the lot may have other faults not expressly referred to in the condition report for the lot or shown in the online images of the lot. The condition report may not refer to all faults, restoration, alteration or adaptation because Sotheby's is not a professional conservator or restorer but rather the condition report is a statement of opinion genuinely held by Sotheby's. For that reason, Sotheby's condition report is not an alternative to taking your own professional advice regarding the condition of the lot.

The companion piece for this painting is a male portrait in Państwowe Zbiory Sztuki na Wawelu, Kraków (inv. no. 318).¹ We are grateful to Sabine Craft-Giepmans, Curator at the RKD-Netherlands Institute of Art History, for suggesting the attribution to Jan Cornelisz. Van’t Woudt on the basis of photographs.

1. See Portret Holenderski XVII wieku w zbiorach Polskich,' Poznan 1956, p. 41, cat. no. 59 (as Paulus Moreelse), reproduced fig. 16.