Portrait of a Woman

The similarity of this unknown woman’s face to that of Anne Kirke in her portrait (83.4), as well as others by the artist, can be ascribed to van Dyck’s development of a facial type that he repeated throughout his work. These facial features, including an elongated nose, arched eyebrows, and large eyes, contributed to idealized stereotypes of female beauty in the period. The greater degree of finish given to the woman’s face indicates that van Dyck focused his attention there, while his studio assistants completed her dress.