Artwork
Woman writing a letter
Woman writing a letter is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Gerard ter Borch. It dates from 1655 and is held in the collection of the Mauritshuis.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
Art historical interpretation frequently suggests the woman is composing a love letter, citing her youth, beauty, and the symbolic pearl earring.
The painting depicts a woman seated at a table, absorbed in writing a letter within a domestic interior. She wears a pale pink jacket with gold embroidery and a dark skirt, her chestnut hair arranged in a chignon adorned with a pearl earring attached to a blue ribbon. The scene includes specific details such as a crumpled sheet of paper, an inkwell, and a pushed-aside luxurious Oriental tablecloth, set against a background featuring a round canopy bed.
While the high literacy rates of the seventeenth-century Netherlands provide context for the activity, the specific content of the letter remains unknown to the viewer. Art historical interpretation frequently suggests the woman is composing a love letter, citing her youth, beauty, and the symbolic pearl earring. However, sources note that this hypothesis lacks definitive proof, as the presence of the bed does not necessarily signify romantic themes given the era's interior design customs.
Technique & Style
Executed in 1655, this work is an oil painting on panel measuring 38.3 by 27.9 cm. Ter Borch demonstrates technical mastery through the exquisite rendering of diverse textures, from the subtle reflections on the pewter inkwell to the golden embroidery on the subject's pale pink bodice. The artist employs a soft, diffuse light to illuminate the figure and furnishings, creating a harmonious composition that enhances the scene's serenity.
Formally, the painting features a minimalist arrangement where the woman sits at a table with a pushed-aside oriental carpet. Her posture is calm and reflective, with carefully arranged chestnut hair and a pearl earring attached to a blue ribbon. The signature "GTB" appears on the table edge near the cloth. This attention to material detail and intimate atmosphere established a precedent for subsequent genre painters.
History & Provenance
The painting Woman writing a letter by Gerard ter Borch was created in 1655 in Deventer. It was first owned by Hendrik Six van Hillegom and subsequently passed through the collections of Henri Deterding, Jan Pieter Six VI, Lucretia Johanna van Winter, Pieter Hendrik Six van Vromade, Jan Six van Vromade, Étienne François, and the duc de Choiseul before entering the Mauritshuis collection. The work is executed in oil on panel and measures 38.3 cm by 27.9 cm. It has been displayed in the exhibition Vermeer and the Masters of Genre Painting. Inspiration and Rivalry.
The painting is held in the Mauritshuis collection in The Hague, where it is catalogued under inventory number 1875-01-02. It has been exhibited in the 1995 exhibition "Vermeer and the Masters of Genre Painting. Inspiration and Rivalry" and has remained in the museum’s permanent display since its acquisition, reflecting a continuous exhibition history within that venue.
Context
The painting is regarded as the summit of Gerard ter Borch’s oeuvre, praised for its masterful light, texture and tranquil atmosphere (3,4). Scholars note that it served as a model for later genre painters, influencing Vermeer, Frans van Mieris and Gabriel Metsu (3,4). The scene reflects the unusually high literacy and frequent private correspondence of seventeenth‑century Dutch society, a point highlighted in contemporary descriptions of the work (3,4).
Situated firmly within the Dutch Golden Age movement, the work exemplifies the era’s focus on intimate, everyday subjects (2). It resides in the Mauritshuis and has been featured in exhibitions such as “Vermeer and the Masters of Genre Painting” (2).
Legacy
Woman writing a letter is recognized as the first painting in Gerard ter Borch's series dedicated to the theme of letter writing. Its composition and handling of light established a precedent that directly influenced contemporaries and successors, including Frans van Mieris, Gabriel Metsu, and Johannes Vermeer. The work's mastery in rendering textures and intimate atmosphere has led critics to regard it as the summit of ter Borch's artistic achievement.
Its enduring significance was further highlighted by its inclusion in the exhibition Vermeer and the Masters of Genre Painting: Inspiration and Rivalry, which explored the competitive dynamics among these Dutch Golden Age masters.
Overview
Created in 1655 by the Dutch painter Gerard ter Borch, this oil on canvas portrays a solitary woman engaged in the act of writing a letter. The scene is set within a modest bedroom, featuring a canopy bed and a richly patterned carpet, elements typical of ter Borch’s interest in intimate domestic spaces.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Gerard ter Borch (Dutch:; December 1617 – 8 December 1681), also known as Gerard Terburg (Dutch: ), was a Dutch Golden Age painter mainly of genre subjects.
