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Lot Essay
The daughter of Philip II of Spain and Elisabeth of Valois, Isabella Clara Eugenia married her cousin, Albert, Archduke of Austria, in 1598. The couple reigned as independent sovereigns of the Spanish Netherlands from 1599 until Albert's death in 1621, when the territory reverted to the Spanish crown. On account of their childless marriage, thereafter Isabella ruled exclusively as governor on behalf of her nephew, Philip IV. As a sign of mourning following her husband's death, Isabella donned the habit of the Poor Clares and would continue to dress as a nun for the remainder of her life. All portraits painted after 1621 portray her as such.
The present three-quarter-length portrait of Isabella is a studio repetition of van Dyck's full-length portrait of the Infanta painted in or around 1628 (Galleria Sabauda, Turin). It appears that Isabella may not have granted van Dyck a sitting, as he based his portrait on one executed by Sir Peter Paul Rubens in Antwerp in 1625 (see H. Vlieghe, Rubens Portraits of Identified Sitters in Antwerp, Corpus Rubenianum, Ludwig Burchard, XIX, London and New York, 1987, pp. 119-123, nos. 109-112, figs. 128-131). Van Dyck's portrait appears to have been a success, however, for the artist received from the Infanta a gold chain valued at 750 guilders following its completion. Moreover, a number of repetitions and copies are known, including a full-length version, now in the collection of the Prince of Liechtenstein, that may be identical with the portrait for which van Dyck was paid £25 on 8 August 1632, and three-quarter-length versions formerly in the collections of King Louis XIV of France and Archduke Leopold Wilhelm in Vienna (see S.J. Barnes, N. De Poorter, O. Millar and H. Vey, Van Dyck: A Complete Catalogue of the Paintings, New Haven and London, 2004, p. 319, under no. III.90). The present example, long unknown to scholars, can be identified as the painting formerly in the collection of King Louis-Philippe d'Orléans at Chateau d'Eu based on the inventory number '139' at lower left and the brand 'LPD' below a coronet on the stretcher bar (fig. 1).
The present three-quarter-length portrait of Isabella is a studio repetition of van Dyck's full-length portrait of the Infanta painted in or around 1628 (Galleria Sabauda, Turin). It appears that Isabella may not have granted van Dyck a sitting, as he based his portrait on one executed by Sir Peter Paul Rubens in Antwerp in 1625 (see H. Vlieghe, Rubens Portraits of Identified Sitters in Antwerp, Corpus Rubenianum, Ludwig Burchard, XIX, London and New York, 1987, pp. 119-123, nos. 109-112, figs. 128-131). Van Dyck's portrait appears to have been a success, however, for the artist received from the Infanta a gold chain valued at 750 guilders following its completion. Moreover, a number of repetitions and copies are known, including a full-length version, now in the collection of the Prince of Liechtenstein, that may be identical with the portrait for which van Dyck was paid £25 on 8 August 1632, and three-quarter-length versions formerly in the collections of King Louis XIV of France and Archduke Leopold Wilhelm in Vienna (see S.J. Barnes, N. De Poorter, O. Millar and H. Vey, Van Dyck: A Complete Catalogue of the Paintings, New Haven and London, 2004, p. 319, under no. III.90). The present example, long unknown to scholars, can be identified as the painting formerly in the collection of King Louis-Philippe d'Orléans at Chateau d'Eu based on the inventory number '139' at lower left and the brand 'LPD' below a coronet on the stretcher bar (fig. 1).