Gerard (Gerrit) van Honthorst (1592 Utrecht - 1656 ibid.) attr; Portrait of a young noble lady with pearl jewellery A bust portrait composed in a cartouche-framed oval of the blonde noblewoman with a golden-yellow and light dove-blue dress, her head turned into half-profile. This representative, courtly portrait can be compared with a series of stylistically comparable portraits of ladies by van Honthorst, which are in particular in the collections of the Instituut Collectie Nederland and Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, the Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed in Amersfoort and the Staatl. Gemäldegalerie in Berlin. Van Honthorst was a pupil of Abraham Bloemaert, but completed his training in Rome, where he studied Caravaggio's works in particular (between around 1610 and 1620). There he worked for important clients, met Guido Reni and worked with him. He returned to Utrecht in 1620, became a member of the painters' guild in 1622 and its head in 1623. He entered the service of the Court of Orange and undertook numerous portrait commissions for the Bohemian royal couple Elisabeth Stuart and Frederick V of the Palatinate, who were living in exile. In 1628 he travelled to London for commissions from King Charles I of England. In 1637 he joined the painters' guild in The Hague, where he worked until 1652 and opened his second studio. The Princes of Orange, Frederick Henry and William II, appointed him court painter and gave him numerous commissions. Oil/oak panel. 69.5 cm x 56 cm. Frame. Attributed to Gerard van Honthorst (1592 - 1656). Oil on oak panel.