Artwork
Portrait of a Woman
Portrait of a Woman is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Jan van Ravesteyn. It dates from 1635 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The composition emphasizes the presence of the woman herself as the central and sole focus of the visual inquiry.
The work depicts an unidentified woman, serving as a formal portrait created by Jan van Ravesteyn in 1635. As the main subject is a single female figure, the painting functions primarily as a representation of an individual rather than a narrative scene containing complex iconography or specific symbolic attributes. The artwork captures the sitter in a direct manner typical of portraiture from this period, focusing on her likeness without additional contextual elements that would suggest a deeper allegorical meaning.
The subject remains anonymous in historical records, indicating the piece represents a generic or specific, yet unnamed, woman of the era rather than a known historical or mythological figure. The composition emphasizes the presence of the woman herself as the central and sole focus of the visual inquiry.
Technique & Style
The work is an oil painting executed on a wooden panel, created in 1635 by Jan van Ravesteyn. Its medium consists of oil pigments applied to a panel support, a technique typical of Dutch Golden Age portraiture. The portrait depicts an unidentified woman and measures roughly 68.3 cm in height by 58.1 cm in width, as recorded in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s catalogue.
The painting is classified as a portrait and is part of the museum’s collection. No specific information regarding its current condition or handling history is provided in the source material.
History & Provenance
Jan van Ravesteyn’s Portrait of a Woman is dated to 1635, aligning with the artist’s known activity during the 1630s. The work entered the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it is currently held. Technical analysis and stylistic comparison situate the painting within van Ravesteyn’s oeuvre, though no direct commission record survives.
The panel’s dimensions (68.3 × 58.1 cm) and materials (oil on panel) reflect common practices of Dutch portraiture in the period. The sitter remains unidentified, consistent with the work’s classification as a portrait of an unspecified woman.
Jan van Ravesteyn's 1635 oil-on-panel painting, Portrait of a Woman, is part of the permanent collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The work, which depicts an unidentified woman, measures 68.3 cm in height and 58.1 cm in width. While the sources confirm its current location and physical dimensions, they do not provide a specific inventory or accession number for the piece.
Furthermore, the available documentation does not list any specific past or future exhibitions where this portrait has been displayed, limiting the record to its current institutional holding and basic identification details.
Overview
Jan van Ravesteyn, a prominent portraitist active in The Hague and serving the Dutch court, completed Portrait of a Woman in 1635. This oil painting exemplifies the characteristic style of the Dutch Golden Age. Now part of The Metropolitan Museum of Art's collection, the work captures an unnamed sitter, offering insight into the period's approach to individual representation.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Jan Anthoniszoon (abbr. Anthonisz.) van Ravesteyn (c. 1572 – buried 21 June 1657) was a successful portrait painter to the Dutch court in The Hague.
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