Unknown Lady

This ivory relief medallion is made by Joachim Henne in ca. 1666. It depicts an unknown lady as a half-length portrait. She stands holding a book before a draped curtain, with a vase of flowers half-visible at her left. Her hair is worn in ringlets with a central parting, and she is dressed in fashionable attire, her Flemish bobbin lace collar typical of the 1660s. The ivory is carved extremely sensitively; the attention to detail, seen for example in the fine openwork lace collar, and the naturalistic facial features of this solemn woman, are typical of Joachim Henne. Exceptionally this ivory still has what must be its original contemporary octagonal wood frame, veneered in ebony with remains of gilding. Its distinctive fan-construction, typical of the 17th century, is to be seen at the back. Analogous frames are to be found in the Rosenborg collection in Copenhagen.