Lezende oude vrouw
ca. 1624 - ca. 1625
Medium
oil on panel
Dimensions
10.5; 70.5; 79
About this artwork
oil on panel
Art Historical Context
**Lezende Oude Vrouw (Reading Old Woman)** Jan Lievens, ca. 1624–1625, oil on, 79 × 70.5 cm* Step into the intimate world of Jan Lievens, a prodigious Dutch Golden Age painter who, at just 17 or 18, created this evocative portrait. Painted in Leiden around 1624–1625, *Lezende Oude Vrouw* an elderly woman absorbed in reading, her face illuminated by soft, dramatic light. Oil on panel—a favored medium for its smooth surface and luminous effects—allowed Lievens to achieve rich textures in her weathered skin and flowing garments, showcasing his early mastery of chiaroscuro, the interplay of l...
About the Artist
Jan Lievens · 1607–1674
Jan Lievens (1607–1674) was born in Leiden and showed exceptional artistic promise from an early age, beginning his training with the local painter Joris van Schooten before traveling to Amsterdam around 1617 to study for two years under Pieter Lastman—the same teacher who would later instruct Rembrandt van Rijn. Lievens and Rembrandt, near-contemporaries born in the same city, subsequently shared...