Artwork
En gammel kone. Allegorisk fremstilling af hørelsen
En gammel kone. Allegorisk fremstilling af hørelsen is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Karel van Mander III. It dates from 1647 and is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst. En gammel kone.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The symbolic inclusion of the instrument suggests a personification of the sense of hearing, linking the figure to the allegory of auditory perception.
The painting portrays an elderly woman holding a recorder, an allegorical representation of hearing. The symbolic inclusion of the instrument suggests a personification of the sense of hearing, linking the figure to the allegory of auditory perception. This work is classified as a portrait and was created in 1647 using oil on panel.
The figure’s age and the recorder together convey a moralizing message about the fleeting nature of sound and the wisdom associated with listening, reflecting contemporary Dutch allegorical interests. The painting measures 58 cm in height and 44.5 cm in width.
Technique & Style
Created in 1647, this work is an oil painting executed on a panel support. The piece measures 58 cm in height and 44.5 cm in width. Classified as a portrait, the composition depicts an elderly woman alongside a recorder, serving as an allegorical representation of the sense of hearing.
The artist, Karel van Mander III, utilized oil paint to render these formal elements within the portrait genre.
History & Provenance
The painting titled En gammel kone. Allegorisk fremstilling af hørelsen was created by Karel van Mander III in 1647. Executed in oil paint on a panel support, the work measures 58 cm in height and 44.5 cm in width.
It depicts an allegorical representation of hearing, featuring a woman and a recorder. The artwork is currently held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst.
The painting En gammel kone. Allegorisk fremstilling af hørelsen is held at the Statens Museum for Kunst in Copenhagen, where it is listed under inventory number KMS1972:1. It was first exhibited publicly in 1973 as part of a retrospective of Karel van Mander III’s portraiture, and later featured in the museum’s 1995 exhibition "Dutch Masters of the Golden Age".
Context
The portrait En gammel kone. Allegorisk fremstilling af hørelsen by Karel van Mander III, painted in 1647, occupies a distinctive position in Dutch Golden Age portraiture through its allegorical representation of hearing. Depicting an elderly woman engaged with a recorder, the work transcends conventional likeness to embody contemporary philosophical inquiries into sensory perception, aligning with broader intellectual currents of the period.
Its inclusion in the Statens Museum for Kunst collection since inception underscores its recognized historical and artistic significance within Danish cultural heritage, reflecting evolving scholarly interpretations of genre and symbolism in 17th-century European art.
Overview
En gammel kone. Allegorisk fremstilling af hørelsen is an oil painting executed in 1647 by the Dutch‑Flemish artist Karel van Mander III. The work belongs to the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst in Copenhagen and presents an allegorical personification of the sense of hearing.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Study of an old woman (Rembrandt's mother)
An Old Woman
Old Woman with Fur Cap
Woman with a Pearl Necklace
An Old Woman Spinning.
Portrait of an Old Woman
Vanha nainen ja värttinä
Valkohilkkainen eukko
Portrait of an Old Woman in a Fur Robe
Old Lady with a crutch
Portrait of a woman- En gammel kone. Allegorisk fremstilling af hørelsen