Portrait of an English School Woman, First Half of the 17th Century

Portrait of Jane Bromley, English School, Mid-1600s, oil on canvas painting in good condition. The young woman, portrayed in half-length and identified as Jane Bromley, is depicted wearing a widow's headdress, worn during mourning. This antique work of the English school portrays the widow with an absent, cerulean, ethereal look, devoid of background and context, with a austere and cloistered attire uniquely embellished from a pin. The dark locks of hair peeking out from under the headdress and flesh tones of the woman reveal her young age. From the iconographic research carried out, we were able to identify the figure of Jane Bromley. She was the heir of Hallon Manor (later Davenport) and great-grandmother of Henry Davenport III (1677–1731), who married Barbara Ivory (died 1748). The particular headdress she wears was typical of widows of the time; the mourning explains both the austerity and the intensity of the painting. This antique painting from the English school dates back to the first half of the 17th century and comes from a private Lombard collection, purchased at an auction at Christie's London on February 28, 1936, lot no. 70 (sold as John Riley, portrait of Lady Uvedale de Tompkyns). It is in good condition within a wooden frame with pastiglia decorations and mecca finish. A similar painting is exhibited at the Fox Talbot Museum in Lacock Abbey in Wiltshire, England, on loan from the same Davenport family since 1993 - Cataloged as English School ref.nr. 996380- Period: 1600 Height: 72 / 94 cm Width: 55 / 81 cm Depth: 5 cm - Ref.artico A1106a