Who painted Portrait of a Woman Aged Sixty-Eight?

Portrait of a Woman Aged Sixty-Eight was painted by Maarten de Vos in 1569.

Where can I see Portrait of a Woman Aged Sixty-Eight?

Portrait of a Woman Aged Sixty-Eight is held by National Gallery of Art.

What movement is Portrait of a Woman Aged Sixty-Eight?

Portrait of a Woman Aged Sixty-Eight is associated with Mannerism.

Can I buy a print of Portrait of a Woman Aged Sixty-Eight?

Museum-quality prints of Portrait of a Woman Aged Sixty-Eight are available made-to-order from Artifact World Gallery.

Artwork

Portrait of a Woman Aged Sixty-Eight

Maarten de Vos , 1569

Portrait of a Woman Aged Sixty-Eight is an oil painting by the Mannerist artist Maarten de Vos. It dates from 1569 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.

Inscription: Inscribed:upper right: M.VOS / 1569;[1] upper left: AETA.68

About this work

Technique & Style

Created in 1556, the Portrait of a Woman Aged Sixty-Eight is executed in oil paint on a wooden panel support. The work measures 37.1 cm in height and 31.5 cm in width. As a portrait genre piece by Maarten de Vos, the painting adheres to the medium and format typical of Northern Renaissance portraiture from that period.

History & Provenance

Portrait of a Woman Aged Sixty-Eight, painted by Maarten de Vos in 1556, is presently in the collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.

Created in 1556 by Maarten de Vos, this oil-on-panel portrait entered the modern market through the collection of Lionel Arthur Henry Seymour Dawson-Damer, 6th Earl of Portarlington. Following the Earl's tenure at Emo Court in Ireland, the work was sold at J. & R. Kemp in London during November 1927. By 1932, it was held by E. Parsons & Sons in London before acquiring by Justice Harlan Fiske Stone and his wife Agnes Harvey Stone in Washington, D.C.

After Justice Stone's death, the painting was auctioned by C.G. Sloan & Company in Washington in May 1959. It was subsequently purchased by Mary K. Karasick, who later gifted it to her daughter, Edith Karasick Bralove. Upon Bralove's death, her estate donated the work to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., in 2015.

Portrait of a Woman Aged Sixty-Eight, painted by Maarten de Vos in 1556, is presently in the collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. The work entered the museum through a series of transfers: it was owned by Lionel Arthur Henry Seymour Dawson‑Damer, 6th Earl of Portarlington, then sold in London in 1927, acquired by Justice Harlan Fiske Stone and his wife Agnes Harvey Stone in 1932, changed hands again in 1959, and was purchased by Mary K. Karasick before being gifted to her daughter and ultimately bequeathed to the National Gallery of Art in 2015. Exhibition records are not noted in the documented provenance.

Overview

Maarten de Vos's "Portrait of a Woman Aged Sixty-Eight," created in 1569, is an oil on panel painting. This work captures an elderly woman, depicted from the chest up, embodying a direct and understated approach to portraiture. It provides insight into the visual representation of individuals during the late 16th century, emphasizing the subject's presence through a focused composition and subtle artistic choices.

Subject & Meaning

The portrait features an elderly woman, her face marked by a few wrinkles, who gazes directly forward with a neutral expression. She is attired in a dark dress with a high collar, complemented by a white cap that covers her hair. This presentation, combined with her composed demeanor, conveys a sense of quiet dignity and self-possession, characteristic of formal portraiture of the period.