Marchesa Balbi
c. 1623
Painted when he was just 24 years old during his Italian journey, Anthony van Dyck captured the ultimate Genovese power dressing here. The Marchesa Balbi is draped in an enormous, heavy dark green velvet gown with intricate gold embroidery, topped with a crisp, oversized white ruff that screams 17th-century aristocratic wealth. She casually holds a golden tassel, looking effortlessly elegant despite wearing what must have been a ridiculously heavy outfit. Van Dyck became the superstar portraitist of Genoa by making his subjects look this majestic, essentially inventing the template for high-society portraiture that would influence artists for centuries.
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