Study of a Young Woman (also known as Portrait of a Young Woman or Girl with a Veil)[2][3] is a painting by the Dutch artist Johannes Vermeer, completed between 1665 and 1667, and now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
| Study of a Young Woman | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Artist | Johannes Vermeer |
| Year | c. 1665-1667[1] |
| Medium | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 44.5 cm × 40 cm (17.5 in × 16 in) |
| Location | Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, New York |
The painting was painted around the same time as the better-known Girl with a Pearl Earring and has a near-identical size.[2] Because of this, and its proximity in tone and composition, it is sometimes considered to be either a variant or pendant painting (counterpart) of Girl with a Pearl Earring.[4] The subjects of both paintings wear pearl earrings, have scarves draped over their shoulders, and are shown in front of a plain black background.[5] In addition, it has been suggested (though this has also been widely contested) that the creation of both works involved the use of some optical device, such as a camera obscura[6] or mirror, as the Hockney–Falco thesis speculates.[7]
Description
editThe sitter is depicted as having a homely face—widely spaced and flat—with a small nose and thin lips on a relatively large head.[8] The lack of idealised beauty has led to a general belief that this work was painted on commission,[6] although it is possible that the model was Vermeer's daughter.[9] The artist probably used a live model but, as with Girl with a Pearl Earring, did not create the work as a portrait, but as a tronie, a Dutch word meaning "visage" or "expression", a type of Dutch 17th-century picture appreciated for its "unusual costumes, intriguing physiognomies, suggestion of personality, and demonstration of artistic skill".[1] The picture encourages the viewer to be curious about the young woman's thoughts, feelings, or character, something typical in many of Vermeer's paintings.
Girl with a Pearl Earring and Portrait of a Young Woman are unusual for Vermeer in that they lack his usual rich background; instead, the girls are framed by a background of deep black. This isolating effect seems to heighten their vulnerability and seeming desire to place trust in the viewer. In 1994, Edward Snow wrote that Portrait of a Young Woman conveys "the desire for beauty and perfection into a loving acceptance of what is flawed".[9]
Provenance and exhibitions
editThe painting may have been owned by Pieter Claesz van Ruijven of Delft before 1674, then by his widow, Maria de Knuijt of Delft, until 1681; then their daughter, Magdalena van Ruijven, until 1682; her widower, Jacob Dissius, until 1695. The painting is thought to have been part of the Dissius sale of May 16, 1696 (No. 38, 39 or 40).[10] It probably then belonged to Dr. Luchtmans, who sold it in Rotterdam as part of a sale from April 20–22, 1816 (No. 92)[10] for 3 Dutch guilders (about 30 grams of silver), even then a tiny amount.[11] Prince Auguste Marie Raymond d'Arenberg, of Brussels, owned the painting by 1829, and it remained in his family in Brussels and Schloss Meppen from 1833 to the early 1950s.[10] In 1959 (or 1955, according to another source),[10] it was bought in a private sale from the Prince d'Arenberg by Mr. Charles Wrightsman and Mrs. Jayne Wrightsman of New York for a sum estimated at around £125,000.[11] In 1979, the Wrightsmans donated the picture to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in memory of curator Theodore Rousseau, Jr.[12]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b "Study of a Young Woman". Metropolitan Museum of Art website. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
- ^ a b Liedtke 2007, p. 888.
- ^ Snow 1994, p. 18.
- ^ "National Gallery of Art, Pendant painting". Archived from the original on 24 November 2010. Retrieved March 24, 2010.
- ^ Liedtke 2001, p. 389.
- ^ a b Bonafoux 1992, p. 133.
- ^ Dupré, Sven (January 2005). "The Hockney-Falco Thesis: Constraints and Opportunities". Early Science and Medicine. 10 (2): 125–136. doi:10.1163/1573382054088141.
- ^ Wheelock 1997, p. 102.
- ^ a b Snow 1994, p. 19.
- ^ a b c d Liedtke, Plomp & Rüger 2001, p. 393.
- ^ a b Reitlinger, Gerald; The Economics of Taste, Vol I: The Rise and Fall of Picture Prices 1760–1960. 484. Barrie and Rockliffe, London, 1961
- ^ "Study of a Young Woman, probably ca. 1665–67". Metropolitan Museum of Art. Retrieved 17 May 2009.
Sources
edit- Bonafoux, Pascal (1992). Vermeer. New York: Konecky & Konecky. ISBN 1-56852-308-4.
- Liedtke, Walter (2001). A View of Delft: Vermeer and his Contemporaries. Yale University Press. ISBN 0-300-09053-6.
- Liedtke, Walter; Plomp, Michiel C.; Rüger, Axel (2001). Vermeer and the Delft School. Yale University Press. ISBN 0-87099-973-7.
- Liedtke, Walter (2007). Dutch Paintings in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Volumes 1-2. Metropolitan Museum of Art. ISBN 978-1-58839-273-2.
- Snow, Edward (1994). A study of Vermeer. University of California Press. ISBN 0-520-07132-8.
- Wheelock, Arthur K. (1997). Vermeer: The Complete Works. New York: Harry N. Abrams. ISBN 0-8109-2751-9.
Further reading
editExternal links
edit
- Study of a Young Woman at the website of the Metropolitan Museum of Art
- The Milkmaid by Johannes Vermeer, exhibition catalogue fully online as PDF from The Metropolitan Museum of Art, which contains material on Portrait of a Young Woman (cat. no. 9)
- Notable acquisitions 1979–1980, fully digitized online as PDF from The Metropolitan Museum of Art, which contains material on Portrait of a Young Woman (pp. 41–42)