Helena Tromper Du Bois c. 1631

This is Anthony van Dyck's portrait of Helena Tromper Du Bois, rendered in oil, where the artist captures his subject with a restrained elegance. The composition is anchored by a stark contrast between the dark, sumptuous fabric of Helena’s dress and the intricate, light-filled lace that frames her face and wrists. Van Dyck uses light to sculpt form, particularly noticeable in the delicate rendering of the lace, a play of positive and negative space, where the patterns are as much about what is there as what is not. The muted palette and controlled brushwork serve to formalize the sitter, establishing an interplay between surface and depth, presence and absence, thereby prompting viewers to consider how appearances both reveal and conceal. Van Dyck’s mastery lies in the subtle tensions he creates, inviting us to interpret the unspoken narratives and the inherent ambiguities of representation.