Justus Sustermans (Flemish, 1597–1681)
Portrait of a Lady, c. 1635–45
Oil on canvas
Norton Simon Art Foundation, from the Estate of Jennifer Jones Simon, M.2010.1.200.P

This engaging painting likely served as a model for a larger formal portrait. The woman’s lifelike head leaps out against her roughly sketched clothing, which is secondary to the artist’s careful study of her features. Light reflected in her eyes echoes the shine of her expensive pearls, and the vibrant flower tucked behind her ear draws attention to her similarly reddened lips and cheeks. The woman certainly belonged to an elite family, which allowed her to employ the official Medici portraitist, Justus Sustermans. Powerful female patrons such as Vittoria della Rovere (1622–1694), Grand Duchess of Tuscany, favored Sustermans for his ability to capture the splendor of aristocratic fashion as well as the individual character of his subject. The woman depicted here may have commissioned this lively portrait as a gift for her family, perhaps to maintain affectionate and advantageous relationships with faraway relatives.