Anglo-Dutch School, mid-1660s

The sitter in the present portrait would appear likely to be Queen Catherine of Braganza, although the picture does not relate directly to a known prototype. Unlike the portrait of Catherine by or after Dirck Stoop in the National Portrait Gallery, London, datable to c.1660, in which she wears the very high neckline and wide farthingale of Portuguese fashion, in the present portrait, the sitter is shown in Anglo-French fashion; even the crown on the table features fleur-de-lys. We are grateful to Aileen Ribeira for noting that by the autumn of 1666 King Charles II introduced a new style of dress for his courtiers in black and white, and that the costume of the presumed Catherine in this portrait may demonstrate the Queen's desire to fit in with this new trend by wearing a costume of black velvet over white satin.