Rembrandt van Rijn, A woman holding a pink, 1656 by Atelier Liesjes

About "Rembrandt van Rijn, A woman holding a pink, 1656"

by Atelier Liesjes

About the artwork

A pale woman in a black dress looks at us in this vertical portrait, from her lap against a dark background. Soft light from the left highlights her oval face, the peachy blush on her cheeks and her tight white collar, cap and cuffs. Her brown hair is pulled back under the cap that flares slightly over her ears and the wide, lace-trimmed collar covers her shoulders. She has dark eyes, a straight nose and her pink lips are slightly parted. Her left arm, on our right, rests on a table covered with a carpet with a rose motif next to two pieces of fruit, perhaps apples, and a book fastened with metal buckles. She rests her other arm on the armrest of the wooden chair and holds a deep pink carnation in the same colour as the carpet. She wears a ring on the third finger of each hand. The artist signed the work with black paint against the dark background in the upper right corner: "Rembrandt. f.1656."

Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (Leiden, 15 July 1606 - Amsterdam, 4 October 1669) was a Dutch painter, etcher and draughtsman. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest painters and etchers in European art, and as the most important Dutch master of the 17th century. His work belongs to the Baroque period and is visibly influenced by Caravaggism. His remarkable mastery of the play of light and dark, often using sharp contrasts (chiaroscuro) to draw the viewer into the scene, led to vivid scenes full of drama.