Artwork
Sick Woman with a Large White Headdress (Saskia)
Sick Woman with a Large White Headdress (Saskia) is an ink print by the Baroque artist Rembrandt. It dates from 1642 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Created around 1642, this print by Rembrandt van Rijn depicts a woman whose profile is turned slightly away, her face concealed beneath a voluminous white headdress. The composition is rendered in a limited tonal range, with the background reduced to subtle shading that emphasizes the figure’s solitary presence.
Subject & Meaning
The work presents a solitary female figure, her hair escaping in tangled, smoky strands that contrast with the smooth expanse of the headdress. The ambiguous expression and the intimate scale suggest a study of vulnerability, perhaps alluding to illness or emotional distress, though no explicit narrative accompanies the image.
Technique & Style
Executed as an etching with supplemental drypoint, the print combines fine incised lines with broader, more forceful scratches. The artist’s hand is evident in the varied line weight: delicate, ragged strokes delineate the hair, while deeper, pressed marks generate the darker tones of the fabric and shadowed areas.
History & Provenance
The piece belongs to Rembrandt’s mid‑career period, a time when he frequently explored portraiture through printmaking. While specific ownership records are scarce, the work is catalogued among his known etchings and has been referenced in scholarly inventories of his oeuvre.
Artist & collection
Artist
Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (15 July 1606 – 4 October 1669), known mononymously as Rembrandt, was a Dutch Golden Age painter, printmaker, and draughtsman.
Portrait of a Boy in Profile
Bust of an Old Woman Turned in Profile to the Right
The Convalescent (La convalescente)
Nora Quinn
Three Heads of Women, One Lightly Etched
The Artist's Mother, Head and Bust
Study of a seated woman (The Virgin)
Bust of an Old Woman in a Furred Cloak and Heavy Headdress
Girl with a Basket
Half-Length Figure Reading
Sick Woman with a Large White Headdress (Saskia)
The Little Jewish Bride (Saskia as Saint Catherine)