'Portrait of the artist's daughter' Print
Cornelis de Vos (1584 - 1651), 'Portrait of the artist's daughter Magdalena de Vos', oil on canvas, c. 1623-4 [PA 696]
The sitter was the painter's eldest daughter, born in 1618. On this basis, the painting may be dated to around 1623-24. Its early provenance from the Burlington collection is attested to by a drawing in coloured chalks by Lady Dorothy Savile, Countess of Burlington (1699-1758) of the girl's head. The sitter Magdalena makes eye contact with us. The natural act of gathering up her apron to carry flowers creates a melodic play of red, white and gold across the surface. This draws our attention to the artist's skill in rendering materials and objects as well as personality. Painted by her father, she is both a representation of close family relationships and an advertisement for her father's line of work.