Jan Albertsz Rootius

Essay:

In this three-quarter-length portrait of a 21 year-old woman by Rootius the sitter is richly appointed in delicate lace, expensive black cloth, gold and jewels. The lady has clearly been presented to best show off her wealth, perhaps in order to entice a potential suitor. She gazes confidently out at the viewer with wispy hair framing her face around gleaming pearl earrings.

In one hand Rootius has the sitter holding embroidered white kid gloves between her fore and middle fingers revealing the soft luxurious fabric and the ring on her index finger. In her other hand she holds a pocket-watch on a chain. She is likely the daughter of a wealthy merchant living in Hoorn where Rootius worked in this period.

Of particular interest is the metal object which extrudes from under her lace cap. A rare item to see in Dutch portraits, this beautiful item is a haarnaald or 'hairneedle' in the shape of a golden hand. This long metal needle would pin the hair in place at the back of the head (probably worn in a bun) and secure the lace cap. They were mainly worn in the northern Dutch provinces. In the following decades the haarnaald changes in design into what came to be known as a oorijzer, or '“ear iron' which appears in Rembrandt's 'Study of a Woman in a White Cap', c. 1640 (Leiden Collection, RR-101).

This same distinctive haarnaald can be seen in another work by Rootius also dated 1646. This is in a portrait of an 11 year-old girl (Phillips, London, 8 Dec 1992, lot 82) who could conceivably be the sister of the sitter in the present picture.

The 17 year-old sitter in a third portrait, again dated 1646, looks remarkably similar to the sitter in our picture (Sotheby's, London, 21 March 2007, lot 25). This is thought to be a portrait of Elisabeth Wybo (1629 - 1657). However, while the sitter is again wearing an haarnaald, the decorative tip has a different design, and Elisabeth is not known to have had sisters.

Thanks to Carla van de Puttelaar for her help identifying the haarnaald.

Provenance:

Purchased by Eduardo Secco, a Brazilian businessman in London c.1950;
Acquired from the family of the above by the previous owner.