Portrait of a Lady in Red
Woman in a Red Dress | |
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Head of a Black Woman | |
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Artist | Gabriël Metsu ![]() |
Year | 1667 |
Dimensions | 22.9 cm (9.0 in) × 17.8 cm (7.0 in) |
Location | Polesden Lacey |
Collection | National Trust ![]() |
Accession No. | 1246502 ![]() |
Identifiers | Art UK artwork ID: woman-in-a-red-dress-217806 |
[edit on Wikidata] |
Portrait of a Lady in a Red Dress is a painting by Dutch artist Gabriël Metsu, created c. 1660-1669. It has been in England since 1828 and in the collection of Polesden Lacey since 1922.[1]
The motif of a figure presented in a "niche" follows a style made popular by Metsu's teacher, Gerrit Dou. The central figure is a black woman dressed in a similar red bodice worn by Metsu's wife Isabella de Wolff in a portrait he painted soon after he married her in Enkhuizen in 1658. Like other contemporary Leiden fijnschilders, Metsu has chosen the subject of a niche or window to frame his subject. The popular motif generally includes a curtain for a dramatic effect, and though Metsu painted curtains sparingly, he has chosen to place his subject prominently in front of a closed curtain here. Her portrayal at first glance needs no other supporting commentary, unlike his other "niche" paintings which are adorned with details in the typical "Dou" manner. A closer look reveals an interesting bas-relief under the window, which appears to be a Metsu variation of Francois Duquesnoy's frieze of Children Playing with a Goat. Though its meaning is lost, it shows a clue (along with her dress) that this woman is someone connected to Metsu's circle and was possibly a model for other Leiden painters.
- Portrait of Isabella de Wolff in the same dress, but with a chemise
- Metsu's self-portrait at a window, with a bust by Duquesnoy
- Dou's The Grocer's Shop, with the frieze
References
- ^ 1246502, painting record in the National Trust
External links
- A Negress, at a Window in the c.1942 Polesden Lacey catalog, on archive.org
- The Great British Art Tour: a girl with a pearl earring, 14 April 2021 article in The Guardian
- v
- t
- e
- A Girl Receiving a Letter (c. 1658)
- The Herring Merchant (c. 1660)
- The Sick Child (c. 1660)
- The Vegetable Market in Amsterdam (c. 1660-1661)
- The Lace-Maker (c. 1663)
- Portrait of the Family Hinlopen (c. 1663)
- Man Writing a Letter (c. 1664-1666)
- Woman Reading a Letter (c. 1665-1667)
- Portrait of a Lady in Red (c. 1660-1669)
- Jacquemijntje Garniers (mother)
- Michiel van Musscher (student)
- Joost van Geel (student)
- Fijnschilder