Henri Gascars Paris 1635-1701 Rome

A similar portrait of a woman, presumed to be Louise Renée de Kérouaille, Duchess of Portsmouth and one of the mistresses of Charles II of England, was formerly in the collection of William Randolph Hearst. It appeared at Sotheby's, New York, 18 June 1974, lot 126, as 'circle of Willem Wissing'.

We are grateful to Dr. Julia Marciari-Alexander for confirming the attribution to Gascars on the basis of photographs (private communication, 23 November 2008).