Study of a Young Woman: An Exceptional Glimpse into the Studio of Michaelina Wautier (1604?1689) (Phoebus Focus, 19)

At first sight, this painting of a young woman by the Brussels artist Michaelina Wautier appears to be an ordinary study. Nothing could be further from the truth! A detailed look at and behind the layers of paint reveals great secrets of this forgotten important artist.

The Study of a Young Woman examine the life and work of the Brussels artist Michaelina Wautier. Not only her striking life itself but also the intriguing work raises many questions. Who is the woman depicted? How was the work created and what was its function? Thanks to recent technical research, it is possible to see the painter at work.

Study of a Young Woman is currently on display at the Royal Academy during Michaelina Wautier: A 17th-century trailblazer rediscovered, on view until 21 June 2026.

Katrijn Van Bragt (b. 1993) studied art history at KU Leuven, where she specialised in seventeenth-century painting from the Southern Netherlands. In 2015, she interned at the Rubens House in Antwerp and the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, contributing to the organisation of several exhibitions about Peter Paul Rubens and Pieter Bruegel. From 2016 to 2019, Katrijn managed the Rubens House collection as assistant curator and coordinated the first monographic exhibition devoted to Michaelina Wautier. As collection consultant at The Phoebus Foundation since 2019, she organised the recent exhibitions LACE IS MORE! Five Centuries of Cultural History Undressed (2019) and The Bold and the Beautiful in Flemish Portraits (2020).

Sven Van Dorst (b. 1990) obtained a master’s degree in conservation and restoration at the Royal Academy/University of Antwerp. After working at the Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp, he completed his training at the Hamilton Kerr Institute, a department of Cambridge University. In 2016, he founded the conservation studio of The Phoebus Foundation. As head of the studio, Van Dorst assembled a team of passionate conservators and conservation scientists who manage the Foundation’s collection on a daily basis. Among the paintings he has treated are works by masters such as Peter Paul Rubens, Jacob Jordaens, Anthonis Mor and Michaelina Wautier. Between 2017 and 2020, he led the research and restoration project of the Dymphna altarpiece by Goossen Van der Weyden.