Portrait of a Woman
Gerard ter Borch·c. 1665
Historical Context
Gerard ter Borch's Portrait of a Woman (c. 1665) exemplifies the refined portraiture that made him one of the most sought-after painters in the Dutch Republic. Ter Borch was renowned for his ability to render silk and satin fabrics with extraordinary verisimilitude, a skill that attracted commissions from the wealthy merchant class of cities like Deventer, where he settled in 1654. This portrait reflects the restrained elegance of Dutch upper-class self-presentation during the Golden Age, when portraiture served as a marker of social status and civic virtue.
Technical Analysis
Ter Borch's legendary skill in rendering fabrics is evident in the subtle play of light across the sitter's clothing, achieved through delicate glazes and precise highlights that capture the sheen and weight of different textiles.
Provenance
(presumably) Jan Jacob [Jean-Jacques de] Faesch [1755-1831], Amsterdam); (de Vries … Roos, Amsterdam, sale Jean-Jacques de Jean-Jacques de Faesch, July 3, 1833, no. 56 [“Een prachtig gekleed Dame, staande bij een tafel en stoel, beide met rood bekleedsel”, canvas, 6p 3d x 5p 1d; fl. 90, to Chaplin or Chaplen or Chapplaen]); F. Austen, London; [M. Knoedler & Co., New York];; Elisabeth Severance Prentiss, Cleveland, 1923, by bequest to the Cleveland Museum of Art, 1944.
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