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Notes
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When it entered the National Gallery’s collection in 1823, this painting was described as a portrait of the painter’s wife – but we now know Gerrit Dou never married. Perhaps it was something about the intimacy and sensitivity of this tiny image which led people to assume that there was a relationship between the artist and the sitter. Though we will probably never know the name of the subject, we can tell she comes from a wealthy family. She is wearing teardrop pearl earrings as well as a pearl necklace – jewellery which was fashionable, coveted and expensive at the time. Otherwise, however, she is dressed informally in an open-necked blouse and a fur-trimmed jacket which, though a sign of wealth, was commonly worn by women in the home.
Title
Portrait of a Young Woman
Date
about 1655
Medium
Oil on oak
Measurements
H 14.5 x W 11.7 cm
Accession number
NG968
Acquisition method
Wynn Ellis Bequest, 1876
Work type
Painting