Portrait of a Young Woman

The Portrait of a Young Woman is an unfinished work attributed to Peter Paul Rubens, created around 1603 during his early Baroque period. Believed to be part of a commission for Vincenzo Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua, Rubens was tasked with painting aristocratic Spanish ladies for the duke’s "gallery of beauties." The portrait, likely a sketch and study, demonstrates Rubens' masterful use of chalk on paper, emphasizing delicate details despite its unfinished state. The sitter’s identity remains unknown, with the painting later documented in Venice and eventually part of Sir John Hanmer’s collection in 19th-century Wrexham.