Artwork
Portrait of young girl
Portrait of young girl is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Jacob Gerritsz Cuyp. It dates from 1645 and is held in the collection of the Fitzwilliam Museum. Jacob Gerritsz.
About this work
Overview
Jacob Gerritsz. Cuyp’s 1645 oil painting, titled Portrait of a Young Girl, presents a solitary figure against a darkened backdrop. The work exemplifies the Dutch Golden Age’s focus on intimate, realistically rendered subjects, and reflects Cuijps’ transition from genre scenes to portraiture. The composition centers on a youthful female figure, rendered with careful attention to texture and light.
Subject & Meaning
The sitter appears as a shepherdess, identifiable by the staff she holds in her right hand and the lamb cradled in her left. Her dark dress, trimmed with a white collar and a gold shawl draped over the shoulder, conveys modesty while hinting at a modest rural status. The animal companion reinforces an association with pastoral life and the virtues of innocence and care.
Technique & Style
The contrast between light and shadow creates a three‑dimensional presence, while the restrained palette emphasizes the tactile qualities of cloth and flesh.
Cuyp employs chiaroscuro to model the figure, allowing the illuminated folds of fabric and the soft fur of the lamb to emerge from the surrounding darkness. The contrast between light and shadow creates a three‑dimensional presence, while the restrained palette emphasizes the tactile qualities of cloth and flesh. The brushwork is smooth and precise, typical of Dutch portraiture of the mid‑17th century.
History & Provenance
Born in Dordrecht in 1594, Jacob Gerritsz. Cuyp was the son of stained‑glass designer Gerrit Gerritsz. and half‑brother to painter Benjamin Gerritsz. Cuyp initially produced still lifes and animal scenes before gaining recognition for pastoral landscapes and occasional portraits.
The Portrait of a Young Girl remains a documented example of his early portrait work, though its later ownership record is limited.
Artist & collection
Artist
Jacob Gerritszoon Cuyp or Cuijp (1594–1652) was a portrait and landscape painter, best known for his portraits.
- A Shepherdess Spied upon in a Landscape
The Young Housekeeper
Nuoren naisen muotokuva
A Lady of the Leeson Family as a Shepherdess
Portrait of Maria Pietersdr Olycan
An Allegory of Innocence
Elizabeth (1727–1782), Wife of Thomas Nickleson
Lady Diana Bruce (died 1672)
Portrait of a Lady with a Lap Dog
Portrait of a Woman in a Dress worked with Flowers
A Sibyl
Portrait of a woman