Louise Hollandine, Princess Palatine

By family descent until sold London, Phillips, 18 December 1984, lot 5 (bt. for £4,000 as attributed to Honthorst).

London, The National Portrait Gallery, The Winter Queen; Elizabeth, Queen of Bohemia and her family, 1963, no 62

A. van Rohr, '"Peint par Madame l'Abbesse" Louise Hollandine Princessin von der Pfalz (1622-1709)', Niederdeutsche Beiträge zur Kunstgeschichte, XXVIII, 1989, p. 155, no. 7, fig. 3;
J.R. Judson and R.E.O. Ekkart, Gerrit von Honthorst, 1999, p. 274

STRUCTURE The panel is supported by three horizontal baton and is providing a flat and stable support for the painting. PAINT SURFACE The painting appears to be in good condition. There is no apparent damage or loss of paint. ULTRAVIOLET Examination under ultraviolet light reveals scattered minor infilling to craquelure and retouching overall, mostly in the background, especially upper right. FRAME Held in a dark painted wooden frame with a gilded inner edge. To speak to a specialist about this lot please contact Julian Gascoigne on +44 (0)207 293 5482, or at julian.gascoigne@sothebys.com.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

The sitter was the seventh child and second daughter of Frederick Elector Palatine and his wife Elizabeth. She was born in The Hague, shortly after her parents' arrival in the Netherlands following Frederick's defeat in Bohemia in 1620. She was christened Louise after her paternal grandfather and Hollandine as a tribute to the States of Holland, her godfathers, and the country of her birth. She was a talented artist who studied with Honthorst and painted a number of members of her family. In December 1657 she left her home in disguise and became a Catholic nun. In 1664 she became Abbess of the convent of Maubuisson, and continued to live there until her death at the age of eighty-eight. This elegant self-portrait dates from c. 1650. According to the catalogue for the Winter Queen exhibition of 1963 it is the prime version and appears to have been reduced in size from an original three-quarter length composition.