Portrait of Machtelt Suijs
1542
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1542
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
A woman sits in a dark room, her hands folded tight. She wears a black dress with white ruffles and a lace cap. A carved mask hangs on the wall behind her. Heemskerck painted this in the Netherlands but had just returned from Rome. The mask is Roman—odd in a Dutch portrait. It might show off his travels or hint at hidden meaning. The lace and fabric look real enough to touch. Look up *sfumato* to see how other artists softened edges like this.
