An Old Lady with a Book

1637

Rembrandt van Rijn

Painter, Dutch, 1606 - 1669

Dutch 17th Century

Painter

Shown from the knees up, a pale-skinned woman wearing a black dress with white cuffs and a wide, starched collar sits in a wooden chair against a dark brown background in this vertical portrait painting. Her body faces us and she looks off to our left with brown eyes. She has slight jowls at her chin and her eyes, mouth, and forehead are lined. Her hair is pulled back under a close-fitting black cap. Extending straight from around her neck, her white collar is pleated into narrow figure-eights and nearly reaches her shoulders. She wears a brown stole over her velvety black dress, and both nearly blend with the dark background. She holds a pair of pince-nez spectacles in her right hand, which rests on a thick book in her lap. The spine faces her right, and the opposite edge is fastened with metal clasps. A braided cord affixed to the narrow end of the book near us creates a loop.

Media Options

Skip thumbnail navigation
Back to thumbnail navigation
This object’s media is free and in the public domain. Read our full Open Access policy for images.

After learning the fundamentals of drawing and painting in his native Leiden, Rembrandt van Rijn went to Amsterdam in 1624 to study for six months with Pieter Lastman (1583–1633), a famous history painter. Upon completion of his training Rembrandt returned to Leiden. Around 1632 he moved to Amsterdam, quickly establishing himself as the town’s leading artist. He received many commissions for portraits and attracted a number of students who came to learn his method of painting.

This woman’s reserved demeanor, her wide-wheel ruff collar, and the Bible in her lap all suggest that she was a conservative member of Dutch society and dedicated to her religious beliefs. The sitter does not communicate directly with the viewer through a gaze or gesture, but instead seems lost in her thoughts about the biblical text she has just read. Despite the inventiveness of the portrait concept and the painterly qualities evident in the face, it seems probable that Rembrandt relegated the costume, chair, and background to a studio assistant. A small but telling detail confirms that the collar was executed after the head was completely finished: a stroke of white paint overlaps the woman’s right cheek. Once Rembrandt had blocked in the form in his customary manner and painted the woman’s head and hands, he likely passed the unfinished canvas on to an assistant to be completed.

On View

West Building Main Floor, Gallery 48

Artwork overview

  • Medium

    oil on canvas

  • Credit Line

    Andrew W. Mellon Collection

  • Dimensions

    overall: 109.7 × 91.5 cm (43 3/16 × 36 in.)
    framed: 146.69 × 129.54 × 14.29 cm (57 3/4 × 51 × 5 5/8 in.)

  • Accession

    1937.1.73

More About this Artwork

Scholarly Article:  Dutch Paintings of the Seventeenth Century: An Old Lady with a Book, 1637

This horizontal painting shows a group of eight light-skinned musicians and onlookers gathered closely around a rectangular, carpet-covered table. The front edge of the table runs parallel to the bottom edge of the painting, and seems close to us. Shown from about the waist up, the men and women’s vivid lapis-blue, coral-red, buttercup-yellow, lilac-purple, and moss-green garments fall in crisp folds. Bright reflections on the fabric suggest a satin-like material. Two women wear feathers in their hair and one man’s hat is plumed. One man, wearing crimson red and black, sits with his back to us to our left on the near side of the table. He holds the neck of a bass viol, about the size of a cello, with his left hand, and points to pages of an open music book with the bow in his right hand. The other people cluster on the far side of the table. A man to the left plays a violin; a woman at the center plays a guitar-sized bandora, and a woman to our right plays a lute. The musicians, along with a man who leans over the table from between the two women, look down at the music books. A young man behind the woman at the center holds up a glass of pale liquid with his right hand as he touches his left forefinger to his smiling lips. A man and woman stand close together in the background to our right, in the top right corner of the canvas.

Scholarly Series:  Dutch Paintings of the Seventeenth Century

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Johan van der Marck [1695-1770], Leiden; (his estate sale, by Hendrik de Winter and Jan Yver, Amsterdam, 25 August 1773 and days following, no. 259); purchased by (Fouquet), probably for Jean-Baptiste-Pierre Le Brun [1748-1813], Paris;[1] (his sale, by Pierrre Remy, Paris, 20-23 December 1773, no. 11); Alexandre-Joseph Paillet. Armand, marquis de Brunoy; (his sale, by François Charles Joullain, Paris, 2 December 1776 and days following, no. 26 [paired with a portrait of Admiral de Ruyter]); (Fournel). Thélusson collection, Paris; (his sale, by Folliot and Mabille, Paris, 1 December 1777, no. 17). probably (Antoine-Charles Dulac) or possibly La Chaise collection; (sale, by Paillet and Chariot at Hôtel d'Aligre, Paris, 30 November 1778 and days following, no. 346, as Le portrait de la Mere de Rimbrand); Claude Billard de Belisard.[2] Marquis de Anne-Pierre Montesquiou-Fezensac [1739-1798], Paris; (his sale, by J.B.P. Le Brun, Paris, 9 December 1788 and days following, 1st day, no. 45); purchased by Le Brun.[3] Charles-Alexandre, vicomte de Calonne [1734-1802], Paris and London; (his sale, Skinner and Dyke, London, 23 March 1795 and days following, 4th day [28 March], no. 38); John Julius Angerstein [1732-1823], London; gift immediately to Sir Thomas Lawrence [1769-1830], London.[4] John Allnutt [1773-1863], London; (his estate sale, Christie, Manson & Woods, London, 18-20 June 1863, no. 502); (François Nieuwenhuys, Paris).[5] Alfred Louis Lebeuf de Montgermont [1841-1918], Paris, by 1900;[6] his son-in-law, Prince Louis Antoine Marie de Broglie [1862-1958], Paris; sold 1920 to (Duveen Brothers, Inc., London, New York, and Paris);[7] sold November 1924 to Andrew W. Mellon, Pittsburgh and Washington, D.C.; deeded 28 December 1934 to The A.W. Mellon Educational and Charitable Trust, Pittsburgh; gift 1937 to NGA.
[1] This information, along with details about the 1773, 1776, and 1778 sales was kindly provided by Burton Fredericksen (e-mail, 1 September 2013, to Arthur Wheelock, in NGA curatorial files). Fouquet's name is sometimes recorded as Foucquier or Foucquer.
[2] John Smith, A Catalogue Raisonné of the Works of the Most Eminent Dutch, Flemish and French Painters, 9 vols., London, 829-1842, 7:163, no. 505, includes a provenance listing: "Collection of an Artist, 1783." This reference, however, has not yet been verified.
[3] This buyer information is provided by Burton Fredericksen, then director of the Getty Provenance Index, in his letter of 5 February 1988 to Arthur Wheelock, in NGA curatorial files.
[4] It is not certain the painting in the Calonne sale that was bought by Angerstein and given to Lawrence is the NGA painting. The description in the Calonne sale catalogue is extremely brief (“An Old Lady’s Portrait, half length, with a Bible, very uncommonly high finished, with a force of colouring the true character of his finest works”) and no dimensions are given. Further, the account of Angerstein’s gift to Lawrence describes the painting as depicting the sitter with “a Bible hanging to her waist by a chain” (D.E. Williams, The Life and Correspondence of Sir Thomas Lawrence, Kt., 2 vols., London, 1831, 1:129, brought to the NGA's attention by Burton Fredericksen in his letter of 5 February 1988, to Arthur Wheelock, in NGA curatorial files.
[5] The buyer is indicated in various ways in annotated copies of the sale catalogue: "FN," "Nieuwenhuys," and "Normanhays."
[6] Wilhelm von Bode, assisted by Cornelis Hofstede de Groot, The Complete Work of Rembrandt, translated by Florence Simmonds, 8 vols., Paris, 1897-1906: 4(1900):35, 168, no. 288, repro.
[7] Meryle Secrest, Duveen: A Life in Art, New York, 2004: 477.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1861

  • British Institution for Promoting the Fine Arts in the United Kingdom, London, 1861, no. 123.

1925

  • Paintings by Old Masters from Pittsburgh Collections, Carnegie Institute, Pittsburgh, 1925, no. 60.

1930

  • The Thirteenth Loan Exhibition of Old Masters: Paintings by Rembrandt, The Detroit Institute of Arts, 1930, no. 36.

1969

  • Rembrandt in the National Gallery of Art [Commemorating the Tercentenary of the Artist's Death], National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1969, no. 4, 14, repro.

1989

  • Loan for display with permanent collection, Cincinnati Art Museum, 1989-1990.

2011

  • Rembrandt in America, North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh; Cleveland Museum of Art; Minneapolis Institute of Arts, 2011-2012, no. 23, pl. 4.

Bibliography

1829

  • Smith, John. A Catalogue Raisonné of the Works of the Most Eminent Dutch, Flemish and French Painters. 9 vols. London, 1829-1842: 7(1836):163, no. 505.

1831

  • Williams, D.E. The Life and Correspondence of Sir Thomas Lawrence, Kt. 2 vols. London, 1831: 1:129.

1857

  • Blanc, Charles. Le trésor de la curiosité. 2 vols. Paris, 1857–1858: 2(1858):168.

1897

  • Bode, Wilhelm von, and Cornelis Hofstede de Groot. The Complete Work of Rembrandt. 8 vols. Translated by Florence Simmonds. Paris, 1897-1906: 4:35, 168, no. 288, repro.

1907

  • Hofstede de Groot, Cornelis. A Catalogue Raisonné of the Works of the Most Eminent Dutch Painters of the Seventeenth Century. 8 vols. Translated by Edward G. Hawke. London, 1907-1927: 6(1916):401, no. 876.

1908

  • Rosenberg, Adolf. Rembrandt, des Meisters Gemälde. Klassiker der Kunst in Gesamtausgaben 2. 3rd ed. Stuttgart and Berlin, 1908: repro. 267, 288, 573.

1909

  • Rosenberg, Adolf. Rembrandt: Des Meisters Gemälde. Edited by Wilhelm R. Valentiner. Klassiker der Kunst in Gesamtausgaben 2. Stuttgart and Leipzig, 1909: repro. 267, 288, 573.

1913

  • Rosenberg, Adolf. The Work of Rembrandt, reproduced in over five hundred illustrations. Classics in Art 2. 2nd ed. New York, 1913: repro. 267.

1920

  • Errera, Isabelle. Répertoire des peintures datées. 2 vols. Brussels and Paris, 1920-1921: 1(1920):237, as Portrait d'une Femme tenant un binocle.

1921

  • Rosenberg, Adolf. The Work of Rembrandt. Edited by Wilhelm R. Valentiner. Classics in Art 2. 3rd ed. New York, 1921: 267, repro.

1922

  • Neumann, Carl. Rembrandt. 2 vols. Revised ed. Munich, 1922: 2: 414, 462, fig. 114.

1923

  • Meldrum, David S. Rembrandt’s Painting, with an Essay on His Life and Work. New York, 1923: 195, pl. 236.

1924

  • Knackfuss, Hermann. Rembrandt. Künstler-Monographien. Leipzig, 1924: 62.

1925

  • Carnegie Institute. An Exhibition of Paintings by Old Masters from the Pittsburgh Collections. Exh. cat. Carnegie Institute, Pittsburgh, 1925: no. 60.

1930

  • Schmidt-Degener, Frederik. "Rembrandt van Ryn: Portrait of an Old Lady" in Unknown Masterpieces in Public and Private Collections. Edited by Wilhelm R. Valentiner. London, 1930: no. 53, repro.

  • Valentiner, Wilhelm R., ed. Unknown Masterpieces in Public and Private Collections. London, 1930: n.p., pl. 53, as Portrait of an Old Lady by Rembrandt van Ryn.

  • Valentiner, Wilhelm R. The thirteenth loan exhibition of old masters, paintings by Rembrandt. Exh. cat. Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit, 1930: no. 36.

1931

  • Valentiner, Wilhelm R. Rembrandt Paintings in America. New York, 1931: no. 79.

1935

  • Bredius, Abraham. Rembrandt Schilderijen, 630 Afbeeldingen. Utrecht, 1935: no. 362, repro.

  • Bredius, Abraham. Rembrandt Gemälde, 630 Abbildungen. Vienna, 1935: no. 362, repro.

1936

  • Bredius, Abraham. The Paintings of Rembrandt. New York, 1936: no. 362, repro.

1937

  • Cortissoz, Royal. An Introduction to the Mellon Collection. Boston, 1937: 39.

1941

  • Duveen Brothers. Duveen Pictures in Public Collections of America. New York, 1941: no. 196, repro., as _ An Old Lady with a Bible_ by Rembrandt.

  • National Gallery of Art. Preliminary Catalogue of Paintings and Sculpture. Washington, 1941: 164, no. 73.

1942

  • National Gallery of Art. Book of illustrations. 2nd ed. Washington, 1942: 73, repro. 30, 240.

  • Bredius, Abraham. The Paintings of Rembrandt. 2 vols. Translated by John Byam Shaw. Oxford, 1942: 1:21, no. 362; 2:repro.

1943

  • Benesch, Otto. "The Rembrandt Paintings in the National Gallery of Art." The Art Quarterly 6, no. 1 (Winter 1943): 26, 33 fig. 13.

1948

  • Rosenberg, Jakob. Rembrandt. 2 vols. Cambridge, MA, 1948: 1:45; 2:fig. 65.

1949

  • National Gallery of Art. Paintings and Sculpture from the Mellon Collection. Washington, 1949 (reprinted 1953 and 1958): 83, repro.

1960

  • Roger-Marx, Claude. Rembrandt. Translated by W.J. Strachan and Peter Simmons. New York, 1960: 201, repro. 200, no. 61.

1963

  • Walker, John. National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. New York, 1963 (reprinted 1964 in French, German, and Spanish): 312, repro.

1964

  • Rosenberg, Jakob. Rembrandt: Life and Work. Revised ed. Greenwich, Connecticut, 1964: 77-78, fig. 65, repro. 76.

1965

  • National Gallery of Art. Summary Catalogue of European Paintings and Sculpture. Washington, 1965: 109.

1966

  • Bauch, Kurt. Rembrandt Gemälde. Berlin, 1966: 26, no. 508, repro.

1968

  • Gerson, Horst. Rembrandt Paintings. Amsterdam, 1968: 348-349, no. 264, repro., 498.

  • National Gallery of Art. European Paintings and Sculpture, Illustrations. Washington, 1968: 97, repro.

1969

  • Bredius, Abraham. Rembrandt: The Complete Edition of the Paintings. Revised by Horst Gerson. 3rd ed. London, 1969: repro. 283, 578, no. 362.

  • National Gallery of Art. Rembrandt in the National Gallery of Art: Commemorating the tercentenary of the artist's death. Exh. cat. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1969: 7, 14, no. 4, repro.

1970

  • Benesch, Otto. Otto Benesch Collected Writings. 2 vols. Edited by Eva Benesch. London and New York, 1970: 1:142-143, fig. 116.

1975

  • National Gallery of Art. European paintings: An Illustrated Summary Catalogue. Washington, 1975: 284, repro.

  • Walker, John. National Gallery of Art, Washington. New York, 1975: 279, no. 368, color repro.

1976

  • Fowles, Edward. Memories of Duveen Brothers. London, 1976: 137.

1984

  • Walker, John. National Gallery of Art, Washington. Rev. ed. New York, 1984: 279, no. 362, color repro., as by Rembrandt van Ryn.

1985

  • National Gallery of Art. European Paintings: An Illustrated Catalogue. Washington, 1985: 328, repro.

1986

  • Tümpel, Christian. Rembrandt. Translated by Jacques and Jean Duvernet, Léon Karlson, and Patrick Grilli. Paris, 1986: repro. 241, 426, no. A58.

1990

  • Broos, Ben P. J., ed. Great Dutch Paintings from America. Exh. cat. Royal Picture Gallery Mauritshuis, The Hague; Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. The Hague and Zwolle, 1990: 391.

1991

  • Martz, Louis L. From Renaissance to Baroque: essays on literature and art. Columbia, Missouri, 1991: 225-227, fig. 34.

1995

  • Wheelock, Arthur K., Jr. Dutch Paintings of the Seventeenth Century. The Collections of the National Gallery of Art Systematic Catalogue. Washington, 1995: 226-230, color repro. 227.

2011

  • Keyes, George S., Tom Rassieur, and Dennis P. Weller. Rembrandt in America: collecting and connoisseurship. Exh. cat. North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh; Cleveland Museum of Art; Minneapolis Institute of Arts. New York, 2011: no. 23, pl. 4, 37, 39, 54 n. 11, 185.

2016

  • Kennicott, Philip. "Important Piece of The City's Art Puzzle." Washington Post 139, no. 97 (March 11, 2016): cover, 3, color repro.

Inscriptions

lower left: Rembr[an]dt. / f.1[63]7.

Wikidata ID

Q20177149

You may be interested in

Loading Results