I have no information on this portrait other than it's said to be Northern German, and by her attire I'd say it looks to have been painted circa 1770, -ish. It's possible that's she wearing costume; the turban-like headdress and the lace trim on the front of her gown are certainly anachronistic. Whatever the actual history of the piece, I find her wonderfully crude and charming. And there must be a story behind that disconcerting gaze.
It does have the look of a masque costume of some sort. Particularly the cross over bodice design is a hint. Also, by the 1770s using lace on the sleeve body itself had fallen out of fashion. Hmmmmmm, in-ter-est-ing!
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