Catharina van Hemessen's 'Portrait of a Woman'

Catharina van Hemessen is the earliest European woman painter whose works can be identified without doubt. She was just 23 years old when she created this small, intricate 'Portrait of a Woman’ in 1551.  

In a time where very few women worked as artists, van Hemessen painted with confidence and skill, proudly signing her name on nearly all of her works. 

Though we don’t know who the sitter in this artwork was, her soft brown eyes and slight smile draw us in. Imagine her chatting to van Hemessen as she sat for her portrait, sharing a rare moment of creative connection between two women in the 16th century.  

For International Women’s Day 2026, we interviewed curator Dr Christine Seidel to ask...

2. Which is your favourite detail and why? 

A wonderful detail is the lap dog that the woman carries by her side. It was common for women to have their portrait painted alongside their favourite companion during this period.  

Here, the dog takes on its own personality. The way in which she holds him suggests he did not want to sit still in her lap but wanted to be tucked under the arm. The bells on his collar would jingle with every move. The liveliness is somehow captured in the way van Hemessen characterises the white and bright orange fur and whiskers.  

They are painted ‘wet in wet’, a quick way of layering paint and brushstrokes on top of other paint layers that are not fully dry. The wet paint can be dragged and blended to create a lively mixture of textures and colour. 

3. What three things do you think people should know about Catharina van Hemessen? 

Firstly it’s important to know that she worked in Antwerp, one of the most vibrant artistic centres in 16th-century Europe. The city was a hub for banking, luxury goods like paintings and tapestries, international trade and innovative thinking. The opportunities created a certain liberal atmosphere. 

This influenced attitudes towards the education of girls and the legal status of women within society. The social circles and networks of van Hemessen’s father, who was himself one of the most sought-after painters of the day, allowed her to enter a world that was otherwise rarely accessible to women.  

Secondly, she was a literary figure during her own lifetime, which is unusual. One of the reasons we know of Catharina van Hemessen today is the fact that a very influential writer mentions her in his ‘Description of the Netherlands’, published in 1567.  

The author was a Florentine merchant named Ludovico Guicciardini, who had lived in Antwerp not too far from the family’s home. Guicciardini included van Hemessen among the well-known and gifted women painters working in Antwerp, mentioning her by name.  

This, together with the intriguing fact that she went to Spain as a lady-in-waiting to Mary of Hungary, regent of the Netherlands, may have made her even more famous amongst art lovers.

Thirdly, it's important to note that she probably only worked for a few years, between 1548 and 1555 at the latest. During this time, it’s likely she did not run a workshop as a professional painter but rather worked within the network of her father’s workshop. Here she had the opportunity to learn about the craft and come in contact with potential clients as well.

4. Why do you think she signed so many of her works, including this picture? 

The main purpose of signing an artwork is to identify its author, and this is never done for its own sake, but for the audience. 

We think of an artist’s signature as an expression of self-assertion. That's a modern idea, which still tells us something about the relation between the painter and their work.   

In van Hemessen’s case, we can easily imagine that the self-portrait she painted, the earliest dated work, was both an image of her likeness and a demonstration of her skill. It could only have been intended for an audience that was likely to be found in the circle of her father's clients or colleagues. Today, this painting is in the collection of Kunstmuseum Basel in Switzerland.

In 'Portrait of a Woman', we do not know who the young woman that Catharina van Hemessen depicted is. She must be of noble birth, or a member of a wealthy family, as her costly dress suggests. The twin rings on her left pinky finger, one with a red and the other with a blue gemstone, make it highly likely that it was intended as a commemorative portrait, which would have been gifted to a husband or a close friend.

The signature states that ‘Catharina van Hemessen painted [it]’ in 1551 and can be read as a sign of pride in the artist’s work. She uses a similar signature on her 'Portrait of a Man', also in the National Gallery's collection.