Artwork
A Young Woman
A Young Woman is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Gerrit Dou. It dates from 1640 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The painting titled A Young Woman, executed by Gerrit Dou in 1640, depicts a solitary female sitter rendered in oil on a wooden panel.
The painting titled A Young Woman, executed by Gerrit Dou in 1640, depicts a solitary female sitter rendered in oil on a wooden panel. The work is classified as a portrait and is part of the Cleveland Museum of Art’s collection, where it is displayed to the public. Measuring 16.3 cm by 12.1 cm, the piece was created in the Netherlands and is recorded in both the museum’s catalog and scholarly documentation.
Technique & Style
A Young Woman is executed in oil paint on panel, a combination characteristic of seventeenth-century Dutch cabinet pictures. The work is modest in scale, measuring 16.3 cm in height by 12.1 cm in width, a format consistent with the small, finely finished panels Gerrit Dou favored for intimate portraits.
Classified simply as a painting within the portrait genre, the piece reflects Dou's early-career approach to the small-format oil-on-panel tradition, in which smooth handling and meticulous surface treatment were used to render the sitter with close attention to detail.
History & Provenance
The painting is held by the Cleveland Museum of Art, where it is recorded as inventory number 1942.42.
It was included in the Cleveland Museum of Art’s 1942 Annual Exhibition of Selected Acquisitions, held November 19–December 31, 1942, marking its public debut after acquisition.
Overview
Gerrit Dou's 1640 oil painting, A Young Woman, exemplifies the detailed portraiture for which the Dutch Golden Age artist was known. This work showcases the refined brushwork and polished finish characteristic of the Leiden fijnschilders, a group Dou led. The painting, a small-scale depiction, is currently housed in the collection of The Cleveland Museum of Art.
Context
Gerrit Dou emerged from the studio of Rembrandt, later establishing himself as a prominent figure among the Leiden fijnschilders. This group of artists was distinguished by their commitment to meticulous detail and highly finished surfaces, often incorporating illusionistic effects. A Young Woman reflects this aesthetic, demonstrating the precision and refined execution that defined Dou's contributions to Dutch painting.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
Gerrit Dou (pronounced; 7 April 1613 – 9 February 1675), also known as Gerard Douw or Dow, was a Dutch Golden Age painter, whose small, highly polished paintings are typical of the Leiden fijnschilders.
- A Young Woman
Young Woman in Fantasy Costume
Portrait of a Woman in Profile
Portrait of a Lady
Portrait of a 62-year-old Woman, possibly Aeltje Pietersdr Uylenburgh
Helena Fourment
Portrait of an Old Woman in a Fur Robe
Portrait of a Woman
Portrait of a Woman Wearing a Gold Chain
Young Woman with a Red Necklace
A Young Woman as a Shepherdess ("Saskia as Flora")
Saskia van Uylenburgh, the Wife of the Artist