Portrait of Machtelt Bas (?-1681)
1651
unspecified
From the collection of Rijksmuseum
1651
unspecified
From the collection of Rijksmuseum
You see a woman in a dark dress standing by a stone railing, a few roses resting on it. Her face is half-finished—one eye sharp, the other just sketched in. A family crest floats in the top corner. This painting was never finished, which makes it unusual. Most portraits from this time were polished to perfection. The raw sketch lines let you peek at how the artist worked, like seeing a draft before the final version. To see more unfinished portraits, visit the Rijksmuseum.
