T his recently conserved portrait, almost certainly painted by an artist active in Bruges during the 1520s, depicts a richly attired woman in the guise of a sibyl. Captured in a moment of quiet introspection, she reads a passage from Saint Augustine's City of God and wears a resplendent costume visible beneath an ermine-lined mantle fastened with elaborate jewel clasps. A green curtain with red tassels frames the composition, adding a theatrical flourish to the scene.

The meticulous rendering of the woman's ornate headdress and intricately braided hair, as well as the lavish detail of her attire, testify to the artist's technical ability. The painting bears stylistic affinities with Ambrosius Benson, to whom Peter van der Brink recently attributed the present work, noting particular similarities with Young Woman Reading a Book of Hours, in the Musée du Louvre, Paris (inv. no. RF 2821). A recent cleaning revealed the sitter's right arm and the original design of her costume in the composition's lower left quadrant, previously obscured by overpaint (see fig. 1). The conservation also restored the painting's luminous chromatic range, returning the work to its original splendor.

Portrait of a Noblewoman as a Sibyl was formerly owned by the celebrated actors Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward (fig. 2). Best known for their cinematic legacy, the couple were also passionate collectors of Americana and fine and decorative arts. As their daughter Melissa Newman recalled, they assembled "a collection of portraits that so captivated my parents." Beyond their film careers, Newman and Woodward were deeply engaged as activists, philanthropists, and enthusiasts of ballet, auto racing, and horology, and timeless style icons.