Artwork
A Woman
A Woman is an oil painting by the Northern Renaissance artist Jan Mostaert. It dates from 1525 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1525 by Dutch painter Jan Mostaert, this oil on canvas presents a solitary female figure set against an expansive landscape. The work belongs to the Northern Renaissance period and is part of the Rijksmuseum’s permanent collection, illustrating the artist’s skill in portraiture beyond his more common religious commissions.
Subject & Meaning
The sitter is shown in a modest brown dress with a contrasting red‑white chemise, a fur‑trimmed coat, and a white head covering. She wears a gold necklace and a ring on her right hand, and her hands are gently clasped before her. The calm expression and restrained pose suggest a portrait of a private individual rather than a mythological or allegorical figure.
Technique & Style
Mostert employs the fine glazing typical of early 16th‑century oil painting, allowing subtle transitions of light across the fabrics and skin.
Mostert employs the fine glazing typical of early 16th‑century oil painting, allowing subtle transitions of light across the fabrics and skin. The delicate rendering of textures—fur, metal, and cloth—demonstrates his attention to material detail. The background landscape, with a blue sky, distant rocks, trees, water, and animals, is rendered in a softened, atmospheric manner that frames the figure without competing for attention.
History & Provenance
The painting entered the Rijksmuseum’s holdings through acquisition in the early 20th century, where it has been displayed as an example of Mostaert’s portraiture. Its documentation traces back to the artist’s workshop in Haarlem, confirming its date of execution as 1525 and confirming its attribution to Mostaert, who was active in the Netherlands during the Northern Renaissance.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
Jan Mostaert (c. 1475 – 1552/1553) was a Dutch Renaissance painter who is known mainly for his religious subjects and portraits. One of his most famous creations was the Landscape with an Episode from the Conquest of…
Christ Shown to the People
Landscape with a Scene of the Conquest of America
Portrait of a man
The Adoration of the Magi
Portrait of the knight Abel van Coulster (1477-1548), representative to the Hof van Holland in 1512
Portrait of an African Man (Christophle le More?)
Triptych with the Lamentation (centre panel), the donor with St Peter (inner left wing), the donor’s wife with St Paul (inner right wing) and the donors’ coats of arms (outer wings)
