A Portrait in lace, detailed by a 16th Century painted blue, gold with birds room divider. A Portrait in lace, detailed by a 16th Century painted blue, gold with birds room divider. A Portrait in lace, detailed by a 16th Century painted blue, gold with birds room divider. A Portrait in lace, detailed by a 16th Century painted blue, gold with birds room divider. — detail
  • Free 7 days returns
  • A$10,900 insured
  • Authenticity guaranteed
Sold
Early preview

See it on your wall

Take a photo of your room and we'll place Reformation on it, at its real size. About 15 seconds.

  • Stand square-on to the wall
  • Get the whole wall and some furniture in
  • Daylight works best

We store your photo securely and use it to improve this feature.
You can delete it anytime. How we use your photo

A Portrait in lace, detailed by a 16th Century painted blue, gold with birds room divider.
A Portrait in lace, detailed by a 16th Century painted blue, gold with birds room divider.
A Portrait in lace, detailed by a 16th Century painted blue, gold with birds room divider.
A Portrait in lace, detailed by a 16th Century painted blue, gold with birds room divider. — detail
4.8 21,740+ Bluethumb reviews

Reformation

Oil, Canvas, Ready to hang

121cm (W) x 170cm (H) x 1cm (D)

  • Original · Handmade
  • Signed by the artist
Jeska Valk Verified artist
Gold Coast
15 works sold

A$10,900

Artwork Description

An internal exploration has ignited a sense of freedom and rebirth. Represented by liquid gold in my work, its malleable form searches for new shape.

This element is used to connect my thirst for experience and the love I have found for The Renaissance (French word Rebirth). I have been enamoured with this period since being exposed to its beauty.

As my work continues to show homage to my family and that of my mother, the link between the knowledge she has shared with me especially of this period will forever hold in strength.

Together, we travelled to Europe and the UK so she could fuel my desire for the arts, highlighting the Dutch Masters from the 16th & 17th Century.

ITEMS INCORPORATED FROM TRAVELS WITH MY MOTHER
The lace depicted in this piece was acquired from Leiden, Holland (my family’s homeland) by a local fabric maker. Just steps away the Valk windmill stands prominent in the centre of town, symbolising the Valk family from the 15th Century.
While the backdrop is a 16th century room divider, part of a collection at the great, Elizabethan building, Burghley House in Stamford, England.

Northern European paintings of the Renaissance (14th-17th Century) was typically characterized by oil paints, realism and the ability to hide subtle details, that reveal a deeper meaning beyond the surface.

Artist Bio
Photo of Jeska Valk
Jeska Valk 30 artworks | 3 Sold

Jeska Valk is an Australian artist based on the Sunshine Coast whose practice is deeply rooted in her love of the coastline and her enduring creative bond with her mother through fabric.

Raised by a mother who created countless garments by hand, Jeska naturally wove this legacy into her own artistic language. Textile traditions became inseparable from her painting practice, merging material memory with contemporary expression.

Lace sits at the heart of her work as a powerful symbol — at once fragile and resilient. Its intricate construction mirrors the complexity of our own DNA: delicate in appearance, yet strengthened through interconnection and repetition.

Inspired by the exquisitely rendered lace collars and cuffs of Renaissance and Baroque masters such as Titian, Rembrandt, and Frans Pourbus the Younger, lace evolved in Jeska’s work from decorative motif to vessel of meaning — a way to honour lineage, memory, and family connection.

Diagnosed with epilepsy as a young girl, Jeska found solace in meticulous detail. The act of painting became grounding, quieting her nervous system and offering stability when words would not come. Art became both refuge and voice — a means of expression beyond language.

As she reflects, “Painting isn’t just a passion for me, but a way to channel my difficulties through a creative outlet.”’