Rogier van der Weyden excels at the art of the cool hat.

This portrait of a regular, no-frills, middle class babe is unusual for Rogier van der Weyden, who primarily painted Burgundy aristocrats and the bourgeoisie. We can deduce her social class based on her fashion sense, which van der Weyden would have been acutely aware of as a painter for the most fashionable aristocracy in Europe. The vertical lines of her dress accentuate her breasts (a feature that wouldn’t have been singled out in a portrait of a wealthier woman), the dress itself is relatively plain, and her cool hat, called a wimple, was a popular accessory for the well-dressed middle class ladies of the late Middle Ages. The overall look is definitely reminiscent of E.T.’s shining moment in the bicycle basket...

The subject was likely modeled after Rogier van der Weyden’s wife, which may explain some of the anomalies in his style. Her hands are tightly clasped and her expression is mild-- usual features in van der Weyden’s work. However, her piercing gaze gives an intimate feel that is uncharacteristic of van der Weyden’s other portraits, which is my polite way of saying “Finally, some goddamn visual interest!” The intensity in her eyes probably comes from the weird perspective that van der Weyden used-- despite the tilt of her face, the subject’s right eye is painted in the same perspective as her left one. Combined with her conspicuous lack of eyebrows, this makes her look like an alien. In a bicycle basket. With a towel on her head.

The subject’s pinned hat definitely steals the show. These veils were normally worn for the sake of modesty (foreheads were way too steamy for the Middle Ages) but in this case the downward folds of the wimple do more to highlight her sumptuous body and frame the softness of her face. What an extraterrestrial hottie!