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Campen, Jacob van
Old Woman with a Book
1625–1630

Like many of the tronies executed by Rembrandt and Lievens, this aged woman holds a book symbolizing her piety. The extremely low viewpoint monumentalizes her, and the unmoderated illumination calls attention to the folds and wrinkles that individualize her face. This figure appears in other paintings by Haarlem artists, which suggests that she was a favourite model. The shaded eyes, indicative of her spiritual vision, is a pictorial device not apparent in the other paintings.

 
Campen, Jacob van
Haarlem, Netherlands 1596–Amersfoort, Netherlands 1657
Old Woman with a Book
1625–1630
Oil on canvas
71.5 x 57.0 cm
Gift of Alfred and Isabel Bader, 2013
56-003.05

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