Lot 2032 Dα

This portrait was sold at auction in The Hague in 1943 with an attribution to Ferdinand Bol. However, Albert Blankert later did not include it in his catalogue raisonné of works by this pupil of Rembrandt. He notes that J. G. van Gelder has said to him that he considers an attribution to Barholomeus van der Helst to be likely (op. cit.). However, neither attribution has proven sustainable. Rudi Ekkart has since ascribed the work to the school of The Hague and considers an attribution to the portraitist Daniel Mijtens to be conceivable. The work shows notable similarity to Mijten's signed portrait of Anna Hoeft from 1643 in the Haags Historisch Museum (we are thankful to Rudi Ekkart for providing us with this comparison).
Daniel Mijtens was a court painter in London. Following the death of James I he retained the title of “royal portrait painter” under Charles I until 1632, when Anthonis van Dyck took over the position. He then returned, crestfallen, to The Hague. The present work could have been painted during the last years of his life following his return to the city.