Artwork
Study of a young woman in profile
Study of a young woman in profile is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Salomon de Bray. It dates from 1636 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts Boston.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The painting shows a young woman in profile wearing a pearl necklace and fur trim, a conventional emblem of modest virtue in 17th‑century Dutch portraiture.
The painting shows a young woman in profile wearing a pearl necklace and fur trim, a conventional emblem of modest virtue in 17th‑century Dutch portraiture. Its subject reflects contemporary ideals of feminine decorum and domestic virtue, while the work’s formal qualities, oil on canvas, modest scale, and careful rendering of texture, underscore the artist’s emphasis on quiet dignity rather than narrative drama.
History & Provenance
Salomon de Bray painted this portrait in Haarlem in 1636. It entered the collection of Rose-Marie and Eijk van Otterloo and remains in the Museum of Fine Arts Boston.
The work was created as a profile study of a young woman wearing a pearl and fur, reflecting typical Dutch portrait conventions of the 1630s. It was made in Haarlem and has been part of the Rose-Marie and Eijk van Otterloo Collection since its acquisition.
The painting is in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, where it is held as part of the Rose-Marie and Eijk van Otterloo Collection. It is inventoried at the museum with the accession number 2019.181.
It was included in the exhibition "Bosch to Bloemaert: Early Netherlandish Drawings from the Collection of Rose-Marie and Eijk van Otterloo," held at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, in 2019.
Overview
Study of a young woman in profile is an oil painting created by Salomon de Bray in 1636, featuring a portrait of a young woman turned to the right, characterized by its use of chiaroscuro to create depth.
Technique & Style
The artist employed chiaroscuro to achieve a sense of dimensionality, juxtaposing the subject's illuminated face and clothing against a muted gray-brown background, enhancing the overall visual impact.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
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