Girl Standing before a Mirror
Caspar Netscher
1668
- Medium
- Oil on panel
- Dimensions
- 35.8 × 28 cm (14 1/8 × 11 7/8 in.); Framed: 50.2 × 42.6 × 7.6 cm (19 3/4 × 16 3/4 × 3 in.)
- Genre
- oil on panel
- Museum
- Art Institute of Chicago
Styles
Tags
paintingluxurypaintjewelrygirloil on panelpanel paintingoil paint (paint)painting (image making)17th Centurypainting techniquesfashioninteriororganic materialoil paintingmirrorrugspanel (wood)european paintingwealth
About
This young woman’s brown and white ensemble shows Caspar Netscher’s ability to depict gleaming satins without a trace of the paintbrush, a feat admired by discerning collectors in the Dutch Republic. Netscher studied with Gerard ter Borch and emulated his teacher’s refined interiors populated with affluent protagonists. The woman’s gesture toward the gilt-framed mirror, supplemented by the imported Persian rug and pearls, invites viewers to marvel at painting’s ability to seduce and fool the viewer.
