Rembrandt, A Young Lady Smiling
1633Rembrandt, A Young Lady Smiling
1633Paintings sorted by Historical period | Painter | Subject matter | Pigments used
Overview
Medium: Oil
Support: Oak panel
Size: 52.4 x 44 cm
Art period: Baroque
Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden – Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister (State Art Gallery Dresden)
Gallery Nr 1556
Image credit: The Rembrandt Database, normal light studies: photograph, overall (front), 2005, (record number 15550); Rembrandt Bust of a young woman smiling possibly Saskia van Uylenburgh, dated 1633, Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden – Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister, Dresden, inv./cat. no. 1556
The sitter was most probably Rembrandt’s wife Saskia van Uylenburgh.
Characterization of Rembrandt, A Young Lady Smiling by the scientists of the Rembrandt Research Foundation (1):
“A reasonably well preserved work (though altered in format), authentic and reliably signed and dated 1633.”
(1) J. Bruyn, B. Haak, S. H. Levie, P. J. J. van Thiel, E. van de Wetering, Bust of a young woman smiling (possibly the artist’s wife Saskia) in A Corpus of Rembrandt Paintings, vol II: pp. 361-66.
Pigments
Pigment Analysis
This pigment analysis is based on the work of Herrmann Kühn at the Doerner Institute (1). Reports on technical examination of this painting including infrared and X-ray images can be found on the website of the Rembrandt Database.
1 White part of the robe: lead white, small amounts of smalt and lead-tin-yellow.
2 Gold chain: yellow ochre, lead-tin-yellow, and lead white.
3 Blue part of the robe: azurite and lead white.
4 Brown background: Ground: chalk, painting layer: smalt, azurite, lead white, probably umber and black pigment.
References
(1) Kühn, Hermann. ‘Untersuchungen zu den Pigmenten und Malgründen Rembrandts, durchgeführt an den Gemälden der Staatlichen Kunstsammlungen Dresden’, Maltechnik/Restauro, issue 4 (1977): 223-233.
Pigments Used in This Painting
Resources
See the collection of online and offline resources such as books, articles, videos, and websites on Rembrandt in the section ‘Resources on Painters‘
PowerPoint Presentations
Painter in Context: Rembrandt
A richly illustrated presentation on the painting technique and pigments employed by Hieronymus Bosch specially crafted for Art Education. (Number of Slides = 20)
- Each presentation starts with the basic resources on the painter such as his biography, main catalogs of his paintings, and a bibliography.
- Next, you find slides describing the painting technique of the artist and the pigments he usually employed in his work.
- The majority of the slides show examples of paintings containing the specific pigments.
The majority of the slides show important examples of paintings where Rembrandt employed specific pigments. The slides are organized according to the color of the pigments.
Videos
Video: 'Rembrandt & Saskia Exhibition' by Fries Museum 2018 | Irene Veltman
Video: 'Rembrandt's Women' by Rembrandt Tour
Publications and Websites
Publications
(1) Kühn, Hermann. ‘Untersuchungen zu den Pigmenten und Malgründen Rembrandts, durchgeführt an den Gemälden der Staatlichen Kunstsammlungen Dresden’, Maltechnik/Restauro, issue 4 (1977): 223-33
(2) The Rembrandt Database, normal light studies: photograph, overall (front), 2005, (record number 15550); Rembrandt Bust of a young woman smiling possibly Saskia van Uylenburgh, dated 1633, Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden – Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister, Dresden, inv./cat. no. 1556
(3) J. Bruyn, B. Haak, S. H. Levie, P. J. J. van Thiel, E. van de Wetering, Bust of a young woman smiling (possibly the artist’s wife Saskia) in A Corpus of Rembrandt Paintings, vol II: 1631–1634, pp. 361-65.
(4) Julia Lloyd Williams, with a contribution by S.A.C. Dudok van Heel, Rembrandt’s women, Catalogue of an exhibition held in 2001 in Edinburgh (National Gallery of Scotland) and London (Royal Academy of Arts), 271 pp.
A Corpus of Rembrandt Paintings, Volumes I – VI, by the scientists of The Rembrandt Research Project are available on the website of The Rembrandt Database in pdf-Format.
Websites
The Rembrandt Database, Object information, Rembrandt, Portrait of Saskia van Uylenburgh as Flora, dated 1635, National Gallery (London), London, inv. no. 4930
