- Portrait of a Young Woman
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This exquisite painting exemplifies the qualities that made Rembrandt the leading portrait painter of his generation and, ultimately, one of the greatest painters of all time. It demonstrates his exceptional ability to capture an animated, memorable likeness that seems to breathe beneath the surface.
Rembrandt’s technical genius--the skill with which he varies his brushstrokes, contrasts translucent with opaque areas, and defines certain details yet leaves others deliberately vague--is also revealed here. Signed and dated 1633, Portrait of a Young Woman was painted shortly after Rembrandt moved to Amsterdam and was possibly accompanied by a companion painting of the young woman’s husband.
This masterpiece is the first painting by Rembrandt to enter the MFAH collections, where it takes its place as the centerpiece of a group of works celebrating the Golden Age of Dutch art
ProvenancePossibly Pieter van Copello; [his sale, Amsterdam, Cok, 6 May 1767, lot 59 (Lugt 1614)][1]; possible anonymous sale [De Winter Yvor, Amsterdam, 30 November 1772, lot 52 (Lugt 2082)][2]; Count Mianszinski, Warsaw; [M. Knoedler & Co., London, by 1909, and subsequently in New York]; possibly with [Galerie Charles Brunner, Paris][3]; August Preyer, The Hague, circa 1914 until after 1921; [with K. W. Bachstitz, Berlin, circa 1929]; Leo van den Bergh, Amsterdam, purchased in 1929; [his sale, Amsterdam, 5 November 1935, lot 21, there unsold]; by inheritance to his wife Alexa van den Bergh who subsequently remarried and became Mrs. C. M. Converse, Santa Barbara, CA; by whom sold through [Schaeffer Galleries, New York to Acquavella Galleries, New York]; sold to John J. Hyland, New York in 1954; by inheritance to Mrs. Jill Frankenhoff, New York in 1955; sold to [Otto Naumann, Ltd, New York, 2003]; MFAH purchase 2004.
[1] as 'Rembrandt van Ryn, Een ander, zynde het pourtret ven een deftige Vrow, borstsuck, krachtig, gloeijend en uitvoerig geschildert, het geen in geenen deelen van Dyck behoeft te wyken, op. P.[aneel] h. 25, br. 18 ½ d. [+64.25 x 47.5 cm] Amsterdamsche voetmaat'
[2] as 'Rembrandt. Een Portret van een Jorge dame, zynde een Borstsuc, omtrent van vooren te zien; ze is verbeeld in een zwarte kleeding, hebbende om den Hal seem Kraag met Kanten bexet. Zeer fraai, Kragitg en natuurlyk; op Paneel, hoog 25 1/2 , br. 19 duim [=65.5 x 48.8 cm] gemeeten binnen de Lysten, volgen de Amsterdamsche Voetmaat’
[3] According to Mme. G. Brière's notes at the Frick Library in 1928
Exhibition History"Rembrandt – Drama of the Mind in 5 Acts," Wallraf-Richartz-Museum & Fondation Corboud, Cologne, Germany, October 31, 2019–March 1, 2020.
"The Marzio Years: Transforming the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, 1982–2010," Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, October 25, 2020–January 10, 2021.
Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks
Cataloguing data may change with further research.
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