Portrait of Margarita Courten (1564-1640) 1625

Salomon Mesdach painted this portrait of Margarita Courten, likely around the middle of the 17th century, in oil on canvas. While portraits are usually about likeness and status, this one also speaks volumes about the labor involved in creating the fashionable garments of the time. Consider the intricate lace collar and cuffs; these were bobbin-made, a painstaking process involving hundreds of threads and pins. The patterned fabric of the dress itself may be silk damask, also requiring specialized looms and skilled weavers. The details of clothing making are critical to how the sitter is perceived, reflecting her family's wealth and status. The very darkness of the dyes would have been expensive to achieve, an implicit signifier of class. So, next time you look at a portrait like this, remember that the painter's work is only half the story. The rest is a testament to the many artisans who made such a striking image possible.