Portrait of a young lady, wearing a ruff, lace cap, embroidered black satin bodice, coral bracelet and white gloves held in her right hand signed and inscribed 'Aetatis 21 An.o 1632/ W. vander Vliet. fecit' (left of centre) oil on panel 67 x 54cm

Willem van der Vliet began his career as a history painter but became renowned principally for his portraits which are rare. He joined the Delft painters’ guild in 1615 and trained with Michiel Jansz. van Mierevelt (1566-1641). Vliet was certainly painting portraits by 1625 (Portrait of Burgomaster and his wife in the Amiens Museum) though other portraits by him are dated 1631 (London National Gallery) 1636 (Paris, The Louvre) 1638 (Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum) and 1640 (Utrecht). Although little is known about his life, he gained enough acclaim in his lifetime to be included in Dirck van Bleyswijck’s Beschryvinge der Stadt Delft [Description of the City of Delft] published in 1667.

Framed 79 x 67cm The painting is executed in oil on a wooden support. The panel is formed from three boards in vertical alignment with the widest board at the centre. A cradle has been fitted to the revere of the panel to reinforce the joins and keep the painting flat. The cradle appears quite recent in the painting's history. There is slightly raised paint following the lines of the panel joins. The paint layer is stable overall with a few small localised losses, for example below the inscription. The varnish layer is semi-glossy, clear and even. There are some areas of overpaint across the surface which have a slightly matte and gritty texture. There is a light layer of surface dirt present.