Young Woman with a Lamb
c. 1680 - c. 1700
Medium
terracotta
Dimensions
20.5; 29; 15
About this artwork
signature, along the raised front right edge of the base, incised in the wet clay: ‘J: Smeltzing, Leide’
Art Historical Context
**Young Woman with a Lamb** is a delicate terracotta sculpture by Jan Smzing (I), a artist active in Leiden around 1680–1700. Measuring just 29 cm high, 20.5 cm wide, and 15 cm deep, this work captures a serene young woman cradling a lamb, evoking themes of innocence and pastoral tranquility common in late 17th-century Dutch art. Crafted during the waning years of the Dutch Golden Age, it reflects the period's interest in everyday grace and natural motifs, though sculpture like this was less celebrated than painting. Smeltzing's signature—"J: Smeltzing, Leide," incised into the wet clay along...