Woman at her Basin

A contemporary of Jan van Eyck claimed that the artist painted a number of pictures of women bathing. Although these paintings are now lost, this panel, dating to the early sixteenth century, is believed to be a copy after one such work and, because of compositional similarities, has often been associated with van Eyck’s celebrated Arnolfini portrait. The painting depicts a nude woman washing herself at her basin. Beside her is a fully clothed maid, who gazes toward a mirror in which both figures are reflected, their positions slightly distorted by the convex glass. Despite its contemporary setting, scenes like this often had allegorical or moral meanings, and scholars have suggested a number of identifications for the female figure, including Bathsheba, Venus, Eve, Luxuria and Vanitas. The painting’s enigmatic quality, however, was likely always part of its appeal.