Artwork
Woman with a Pearl Necklace
Woman with a Pearl Necklace is an oil painting by the Baroque artist Cornelis Bisschop. It dates from 1654 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Cornelis Bisschop’s oil on canvas, dated around 1654, portrays an elderly woman seated in a modest interior. The work is part of the collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. The composition focuses on the sitter, whose solemn expression and modest attire dominate the limited space.
Subject & Meaning
The figure is dressed in a dark brown mantle trimmed with a white ruff and wears a string of pearls around her neck. She holds an open book, suggesting literacy or piety, while her grave demeanor conveys a sense of contemplation or moral seriousness typical of Dutch genre portraiture.
Technique & Style
Bisschop employs pronounced chiaroscuro, using deep shadows to isolate the woman’s face and hands from the surrounding gloom. This contrast creates a three‑dimensional effect, a hallmark of mid‑seventeenth‑century Dutch painting that enhances the dramatic presence of the subject.
History & Provenance
The painting entered the National Gallery of Art’s holdings after being acquired by the museum in the twentieth century, though earlier ownership details remain sparse. Its attribution to Bisschop has been affirmed through stylistic comparison with his documented works from the same period.
Context
Created during the Dutch Golden Age, the work reflects contemporary interests in domestic virtue and the representation of age and wisdom. The subdued setting and emphasis on personal objects, such as the book and pearls, align with the era’s focus on moralizing themes within everyday scenes.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
Cornelis Bisschop (1630–1674) was a Dutch Golden Age artist, born in Dordrecht.
An Old Woman
Portrait of an Old Woman in a Fur Robe
Portrait of a woman
Portrait of an Old Woman
Portrait of an Old Woman, Wife of Christian Jacobsen Drakenberg, née Bagge (?)
Portrait of an Old Woman, Wife of Christian Jacobsen Drakenberg, née Bagge (?)
Old woman
Old woman with a book
Portrait of an old woman in a white cap
Lukeva nainen
En gammel kone. Allegorisk fremstilling af hørelsen
Maria Magdalena Jensen, née Jessen, the Artist's Mother