The Reader
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
15 x 11 in. (38.1 x 27.9 cm)
Classification
Paintings
Department
European Paintings
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Friedsam Collection, Bequest of Michael Friedsam, 1931
Accession Number
32.100.9
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the intimate oil-on-canvas portrait *The Reader*, Dutch artist Eglon van derer captures a serene moment of quiet contemplation. Painted in the late 17th century during the Dutch Golden Age, this small-scale work (15 x 11 inches) depicts a woman absorbed in her book, her poised figure bathed in soft, natural light. Van der Neer, son of the renowned landscape painter Aert van Neer, specialized in elegant genre scenes and portraits, blending fine realism with a delicate touch influenced by the Leiden school. The modest dimensions and meticulous oil technique highlight van der Neer's skill in ...