of the MFAH
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Dutch, 1606 - 1669
Portrait of a Young Woman
1633
Oil on wood
25 11/16 x 19 3/16 inches
Gift of Isabel B. and Wallace S. Wilson; Caroline Wiess Law;
Fayez Sarofim; the Blanton and Wareing families in honor
of Laura Lee Blanton; the Fondren Foundation;
the Houston Endowment, Inc., Mr. and Mrs. George P. Mitchell;
Ethel G. Carruth; Mr. and Mrs. Charles W. Duncan, Jr.;
Marjorie G. Horning; Mr. and Mrs. E. J. Hudson, Jr.;
Mrs. William S. Kilroy, Sr.; Mr. and Mrs. Charles W. Tate;
and Nina and Michael Zilkha; with additional gifts of the
Linda and Ronny Finger Foundation; Ann Trammell; and
Mr. and Mrs. Temple Webber in memory of Caroline Wiess Law.
Additional funding provided by the Alice Pratt Brown Museum Fund
and the Agnes Cullen Arnold Endowment Fund
This exquisite painting exemplifies the qualities that made Rembrandt the leading portrait painter of his generation and, ultimately, one of the greatest painters of all time. It demonstrates his exceptional ability to capture an animated, memorable likeness that seems to breathe beneath the surface.
Rembrandt’s technical genius--the skill with which he varies his brushstrokes, contrasts translucent with opaque areas, and defines certain details yet leaves others deliberately vague--is also revealed here. Signed and dated 1633, Portrait of a Young Woman was painted shortly after Rembrandt moved to Amsterdam and was possibly accompanied by a companion painting of the young woman’s husband.
This masterpiece is the first painting by Rembrandt to enter the MFAH collections, where it takes its place as the centerpiece of a group of works celebrating the Golden Age of Dutch art.