Portrait of a Lady with her Son

Cornelis Johnson (Jonson) Van Ceulen, born in England, would spend his entire life and career between England and the Dutch Republic. He gained considerable fame in England, painting portraits of James I and Charles I, among others. When civil war broke out in 1643, he fled to the Netherlands as a royalist and worked in Middelburg, Amsterdam, and Utrecht. He was good friends with Anthony Van Dyck and strongly influenced by his style.
 Our portrait, which is fully signed and dated, dates from Van Ceulen's period in the Netherlands and is therefore stylistically much more similar to Van Dyck than Van Ceulen's earlier work. It is a very personal portrait in which the bond between mother and child is clearly evident and detached from formality. Both figures look at us in a relaxed manner, in a natural pose. Striking features include the hands, the beautiful rendering of the jewelry, the fan, and the watch, which contrast with the dark clothing.
Signed and dated center right.
Oil on Canvas, 74 x 96cm