Open full image Pin

Portrait of A.M.L. Bonger-van der Linden

Unknown

1905

unspecified

From the collection of Rijksmuseum

Dutch Golden Age Early Modern Portrait

Dominant colour

Portrait of A.M.L. Bonger-van der Linden is a 1905 unspecified by Unknown, a Dutch Golden Age work, held at Rijksmuseum.

Who painted this?: Unknown
When & what style?: 1905 · Dutch Golden Age
Where can I see it?: Rijksmuseum

About this work

A woman in a high-collared black dress sits stiffly against a dark background. Her pale face and hands glow softly, almost like moonlight. The artist used only two colors—black and white—but somehow made her look fragile, as if she might fade into the shadows. This portrait once hung in the home of Andries Bonger, who collected works by Van Gogh and other bold artists. Yet this quiet painting feels different, like a whisper in a room full of shouts. To see how light and shadow can shape a face, look up sfumato next.