Portrait of an Old Woman
Monogrammist GAR, Portrait of an Old Woman, 1630/1635, oil on panel, Museum Purchase: Funds provided by the Bequest of Dr. Francis J. Newton, public domain, 2005.65.2
This work is not currently on view.
- Title
Portrait of an Old Woman
- Artist
- Date
1630/1635
- Medium
oil on panel
- Dimensions (H x W x D)
8 7/8 in x 6 3/4 in
- Inscriptions & Markings
signature: DAR, upper right
- Collection Area
European Art
- Category
Paintings
- Object Type
painting
- Culture
Dutch
- Credit Line
Museum Purchase: Funds provided by the Bequest of Dr. Francis J. Newton
- Accession Number
2005.65.2
- Copyright
public domain
- Terms
- Place Made
Created in: Leiden
Traditionally known as portraits of Rembrandt's mother and father, scholars now identify these paintings as tronies, or character studies based on favorite studio models of the day. The models appear in works by the young Rembrandt (1606–1669), his student Gerrit Dou (1613–1675), and other painters of the Leiden school around 1630. When Rembrandt left for Amsterdam in 1631 Dou remained behind, refining his master's early manner of painting in minutely described detail. Known as fijnschilder, the style was continued with great success by other painters in Leiden.
The authorship of this painting and Portrait of an Old Man, shown nearby [see Related Artworks], is a mystery. They had been attributed to Dou, but cleaning revealed the ambiguity of the monogram. Part of the celebrated collection of Aldolfe Schloss, they were sought out in France and destined for Hitler's museum in Linz but restituted and sold by the Schloss heirs in 1951.