Lot 887: Circle of Cornelis Janssens van Ceulen I

Circle of Cornelis Janssens van Ceulen I 1593-1661- Portrait of a Lady, head and shoulders, wearing a string of black pearls, a white lace collar, her dark hair in a mass of curls; oil on canvas, 40x30cm, (unframed), Note: Black pearls, frequently referred to as Black Tahitian Pearls. Before the days of cultured pearls, black pearls were rare and highly valued for the simple reason that white pearl oysters rarely produced naturally black pearls, and black pearl oysters rarely produced any natural pearls at all.