Woman before a King
Medium
Watercolor, over black chalk, on ivory laid paper
Dimensions
21 × 32.3 cm (8 5/16 × 12 3/4 in.)
Classification
watercolor
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
7463
Art Historical Context
**Woman before a King**, created in the style of Baroque master Frans Francken II (1–1642), captivates with its intimate scale and meticulous detail. This undated watercolor, executed over black chalk on ivory laid paper (21 ×32.3 cm), the refined techniques of 17th-century Antwerp artists. Francken II, renowned for his small-scale cabinet pictures depicting historical, allegorical, and genre scenes, often filled compositions with elegant figures, rich interiors, and symbolic objects. Here, the delicate watercolor medium—uncommon for his typical oil panels—allows for luminous transparency and ...