1632, Rembrandt van Rijn, Portrait of a Woman, probably Corvina van Hofdyck -- Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York)
From the museum label: With her prominent millstone collar and a fan of black ostrich feathers dangling from one hand, Corvina van Hofdyck (1602-1667) embodies the fashions of the Dutch aristocracy in the early 1630s. Rembrandt painted her likeness-as well as a companion portrait of her husband- when he had just moved to Amsterdam and was seeking out commissions from the city's wealthiest residents. For this work emphasizing the sitter's place in a dynasty, Rembrandt adopted a more formal and conservative composition than is found in many of his other portraits. Yet his sensitive depiction of her face and the varied tactile textures of silk, lace, gold, and pearls demonstrate the virtuosity that would soon make him the most celebrated painter in the city.
1632, Rembrandt van Rijn, Portrait of a Woman, probably Corvina van Hofdyck -- Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York)
From the museum label: With her prominent millstone collar and a fan of black ostrich feathers dangling from one hand, Corvina van Hofdyck (1602-1667) embodies the fashions of the Dutch aristocracy in the early 1630s. Rembrandt painted her likeness-as well as a companion portrait of her husband- when he had just moved to Amsterdam and was seeking out commissions from the city's wealthiest residents. For this work emphasizing the sitter's place in a dynasty, Rembrandt adopted a more formal and conservative composition than is found in many of his other portraits. Yet his sensitive depiction of her face and the varied tactile textures of silk, lace, gold, and pearls demonstrate the virtuosity that would soon make him the most celebrated painter in the city.