Sir Peter Lely tended to simplify the clothing of his sitters, apparently for artistic effect. Here the neckline of Anne Hyde’s brown silk satin gown is trimmed with a taupe and gold-striped scarf, an accessory which reappears in portraits of other women by the same artist suggesting it may have been a studio prop. Indeed an inventory of Lely’s studio contents lists lengths of fabric perhaps used in this way, with the artist apparently playing an active role in styling his sitters for their portraits.