Portrait of a Woman

Unknown artist

oil on panel

Rijksmuseum

A woman with auburn hair pulled back and adorned with a jeweled headband sits at a table, holding a small book. She wears a dark green velvet dress with puffed sleeves and a pearl necklace. The woman’s identity is unknown, but her velvet gown and jewellery bespeak her wealth. The long neck and slender fingers are typical features of Italian portraiture from this period. In the 16th century, portraits of this size were usually rectangular. The painting was probably cut into an oval shape in the 17th or 18th century.