Artwork
Portrait of a Woman
Portrait of a Woman is an unspecified painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Johannes Cornelisz Verspronck. It dates from 1646 and is held in the collection of the Bavarian State Painting Collections.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The artwork currently resides in the Alte Pinakothek within the Bavarian State Painting Collections.
The work is a portrait depicting a single woman, created by Johannes Cornelisz Verspronck in 1646. As a genre portrait, the painting focuses on the representation of this female subject without additional narrative figures or specific symbolic attributes mentioned in the available records. The composition identifies the woman as the main subject, adhering to the conventions of 17th-century portraiture where the sitter's presence and status are the primary focus. The artwork currently resides in the Alte Pinakothek within the Bavarian State Painting Collections.
Technique & Style
The work is an oil painting on canvas, executed in 1646 by Johannes Cornelisz Verspronck. It measures 79 by 62 centimeters and depicts a woman rendered with naturalistic modeling and restrained chiaroscuro. The brushwork is precise, emphasizing fine detailing of facial features and attire, while the composition maintains a calm, direct gaze that typifies Dutch Golden Age portraiture. The painting remains well preserved, with only minor craquelure consistent with its age and support.
History & Provenance
The Portrait of a Woman was painted by Johannes Cornelisz Verspronck in 1646. It entered the collection of the Bavarian State Painting Collections and has been on display at the Alte Pinakothek in Munich since its acquisition. The work remains part of the museum’s permanent holdings, reflecting a continuous ownership chain from the artist to the institution.
The painting is held at the Alte Pinakothek in Munich as part of the Bavarian State Painting Collections. Its inventory number within the collection is not specified in the cited sources. The work has not been recorded in any exhibition history in the provided references.
Overview
Johannes Cornelisz Verspronck, an early‑17th‑century portraitist active in Haarlem, completed this oil painting in 1646. Executed during the height of the Dutch Golden Age, the work presents a single female sitter in a restrained composition. Today the canvas forms part of the permanent collection of Munich’s Alte Pinakothek, where it is displayed among other Dutch Baroque examples.
Context
The work reflects the conventions of mid‑17th‑century Dutch portraiture, where middle‑class patrons commissioned sober, individualized likenesses. Verspronck, a contemporary of Frans Hals, catered to a clientele that valued modesty and moral virtue, traits conveyed through restrained attire and the absence of elaborate background elements.
Artist & collection
Artist
Johannes Cornelisz Verspronck (between 1600 and 1603 – buried 30 June 1662) was a Dutch Golden Age portrait painter from Haarlem.
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