Beatrice de Cusance, Princess of Cantecroix and Duchess of Lorraine (1614-63)

This portrait of Beatrice de Cusance from 1635 depicts a woman celebrated for her beauty who became Duchess of Lorraine. Van Dyck's portraits of beautiful aristocratic women helped establish ideals of feminine grace and elegance that influenced European portraiture for generations. Van Dyck's portraits defined aristocratic self-presentation across Europe, his elongated elegance and atmospheric painting technique establishing a model for formal portraiture that dominated British art until the nineteenth century.

Van Dyck renders the sitter with characteristic silvery elegance, using the rich fabric and delicate features to create a portrait of refined feminine beauty.