Portrait of a Noble Young Lady (Pourbus)

Huvenne writes about it that "[Pourbus] manages to lift the striking likeness that is expected of any portrait to an icon that radiates societal and spiritual values.

[1] The infrared examination conducted before the exhibition in Bruges in 2017 confirmed Huvenne's hypothesis and revealed that Pourbus executed the portrait in 1554.

Pourbus's signature, a monogram, two "P"s separated by the master's mark resembling the numeral "4", appears on the upper right hand side, together with the date 1554 (see infrared photos 3 and 4 in gallery below).

Her high-necked gown is a ropa, which Spanish fashion spread all over Europe in the 1550s, trimmed with ruched white silk braid held in place with gold buttons.

The ropa, probably Portuguese in origin, was a sort of loose-waisted mantle open in front, in which some authors have seen the continuation of the fifteenth-century surcoat.

The ropa could be worn all in a loose version, and was then known under various names: the "sumarra" in Italy, the "marlotte" in France and the "vlieger" in the Low Countries.

Untouched, and beautifully preserved, they indicate that Pourbus changed his mind on the position of the sleeve while painting the portrait (see infrared photo 5).