Dutch or French school, ca. 1700.
"Portrait of a lady.
Oil on original canvas.
New stretcher.
Frame 19th century.
With restorations.
Measurements: 73 x 57 cm; 87 x 70 cm (frame).
In this work a young lady is represented as Saint Agnes, with a lamb (the main iconographic attribute of the saint, symbol of her purity) and a stick instead of the palm of martyrdom. The brushstroke, loose and with great mastery and precision, denotes a rapid and skilful execution, as can be clearly seen in the young woman's hair and the lamb's fur. The light reflects his knowledge of Italian tenebrism: a spotlight that enters the painting from the lower left corner and falls directly on the main areas of the image, leaving the rest enveloped in a nuanced half-light and supporting the construction of the volumes and the space.