Bust-length Portrait of a Young Girl

Watermark: none.
This portrait of a young girl was attributed on the basis of the old inscription to Daniel Dumoustier [Dumonstier], the most talented and celebrated member of a family of artists who was renowned for his portraits in colored chalks. As painter and valet de chamber to Henry IV and later on to Gaston, Duc D'Orleans, Dumoustier enjoyed the attention of the French court and members were frequent sitters for his portrait drawings. A particularly fine example of one of the courtiers portrayed by Dumoustier is the Morgan's Portrait of a Gentleman of the French Court (1956.9).
The young sitter is simply attired, with a wide color with a dentelle border and heart shaped headdress. Her identity is unknown. While not fine enough to be a work by Dumoustier himself, it closely follows the format and technique of his portrait drawings.