Brieflezende vrouw
1935 - 1940
Medium
oil on canvas
Dimensions
0.2; 58.5; 57
About this artwork
height 58.5 cm x width 57 cm x thickness 0.2 cm
Art Historical Context
"Brieflezende vrouw" ("Woman Reading a Letter") is an intimate oil on canvas painted by Han van Meegeren between 1935 and 1940. At just 58.5 by 57 centimeters, the compact scale draws viewers close, emphasizing the quiet concentration of its subject as she engages with a letter. Van Meegeren worked in the Netherlands during the interwar years, employing the rich textures and subtle light effects possible with traditional oils on canvas. The painting’s domestic theme recalls long-standing Dutch artistic interests in everyday moments, here rendered with careful attention to fabric folds and the...
About the Artist
Han van Meegeren
Han van Meegeren (1889–1947) occupies a unique and controversial position in art history—not as a celebrated master, but as one of the twentieth century's most ingenious and successful art forgers. Born Henricus Antonius van Meegeren on October 10, 1889, in Deventer, Netherlands, he would eventually dupe the art world's most distinguished experts, sell fake 'Vermeers' for millions, and paradoxical...