Jean Morin (1590-1650)

Margaret Lemon 

Paris, late 1630s

Engraving

310 x 250mm

Morin’s print reproduces Van Dyck’s portrait of Margaret Lemon (born around 1614) painted in 1638. the sitter, a courtesan and Van Dyck’s mistress, is known to have posed as his model repeatedly during his visits to England from 1631-41. She glances coquettishly at the viewer whilst holding the front of her silk robes closed with one hand. Her facial features and hair are engraved with considerable delicacy, whilst the flower in her hair emphasise her femininity and the sexual connotations surrounding this sitter.