Portrait of a Woman
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Jan van Ravesteyn
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"Portrait of a Woman" (1635) by Jan van Ravesteyn is a classic example of 17th-century Dutch portraiture. Painted in oil on wood, the work captures a solemn-looking woman dressed in formal attire, including a millstone ruff and a delicate lace cap—details that reflect the fashion of the time and possibly her social status. Ravesteyn’s attention to detail is evident in the textures of the fabric, hair, and the subtle wetness in her eyes.
The painting is part of The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s collection in New York, though it is not currently on display. It was donated by Henry Goldman in 1912.
Jan van Ravesteyn (c. 1572–1657) was a prominent court portraitist in The Hague and a contemporary of Michiel Jansz van Mierevelt. He was a founding member of the Confrerie Pictura in 1656, a group formed by artists dissatisfied with the existing painters' guild.