Portrait of a Young Woman

This young woman’s direct gaze and parted lips lend her a sense of lively presence, as does her right hand venturing subtly into the viewer’s space. This painting has the appearance of a portrait, but the fanciful costume and casual pose suggest that it could be a character study. Such works, which were pioneered by Rembrandt van Rijn and taken up by his pupils, were sold on the open market at significantly lower prices than commissioned portraits. One of Rembrandt’s last students around 1660, Aert de Gelder continued to use his teacher’s techniques to achieve richly textured surfaces and psychological depth into the 18th century, well after Rembrandt’s popularity had faded.