Sir Anthony van Dyck, (artist), Flemish, 1599 - 1641, Portrait of a Flemish Lady, probably 1618, oil on canvas, overall: 123 x 90 cm (48 7/16 x 35 7/16 in.), Anthony van Dyck painted this portrait of an upper-class Antwerp woman around 1618, shortly after he registered as a master painter with the Antwerp Saint Luke's Guild. At that time, Antwerp's long-established portrait tradition emphasized a sitter's virtuous character through restrained gestures and a direct gaze. Thus, while Van Dyck's portrait style would ultimately come to be associated with gracefulness of pose and gentility of demeanor, his early portraits are somewhat stiff and formal..