The Washington Portrait of a Lady by Rogier van der Weyden reconsidered in light of recent investigations

Rogier van der Weyden's corpus is constructed by comparison with three securely identified works. Technical studies have aided in the attribution process. Although it is known that Rogier worked as a portraitist for the aristocratic class in Brussels, no portraits survive today which can be securely linked with contemporary documents. In addition to the donors on altar wings, a group of five independent portraits and three which may have once been part of diptychs is generally attributed to Rogier on a stylistic basis. Published technical information on these is limited. The recent restoration of the Washington Portrait of a Lady provided an opportunity to study the painting method of this late portrait, possibly the latest, when Rogier's aesthetic sensibilities had become increasingly abstract. Aspects of the painting method facilitate the emphasis of the planar aesthetic.