Artwork
An Old Woman
An Old Woman is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Rembrandt van Rijn. It dates from 1660 and is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst.
About this work
Technique & Style
The surface shows signs of age but remains structurally sound, preserving the artist's layered application of paint.
The work is an oil painting executed on canvas, reflecting Rembrandt's mature handling of light and texture. Brushwork reveals a restrained palette with nuanced tonal gradations that model the sitter's features, while the composition emphasizes psychological depth through chiaroscuro. The surface shows signs of age but remains structurally sound, preserving the artist's layered application of paint.
History & Provenance
An Old Woman is an oil-on-canvas portrait by Rembrandt dated to 1660. The painting entered the collection of Adam Gottlob Moltke and subsequently passed to Frederik Moltke, documenting an early ownership chain within the Moltke family. It is now held by the Statens Museum for Kunst, where it remains part of the museum's holdings.
Overview
Created in 1660, this oil painting by Rembrandt van Rijn portrays an elderly woman rendered with a restrained palette and subdued lighting. The work belongs to the collection of Denmark’s Statens Museum for Kunst, exemplifying the master’s later period focus on intimate, character-driven portraiture.
Subject & Meaning
The sitter is an aged woman whose lined face and solemn expression convey a sense of lived experience. Clad in a dark garment with a white collar and a modest headscarf, she folds her hands before her, a gesture that reinforces the painting’s contemplative mood and hints at personal piety or resignation.
Artist & collection
Artist
Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn, known mononymously as Rembrandt, was a Dutch Golden Age painter, printmaker, and draughtsman.
