Portrait of an Aristocratic Widow, ca. 1675–1700
Oil on canvas
Dimensions without frame123,5 × 93,5 cm
Dimensions with frame143,5 × 112 × 7,5 cm
About the workThis mysterious stranger is a widow: her black clothing and pointed headdress, known as a "Schneppe", are indicative of this, as is her pocket watch representing the passage of time. The fact that the single hand of this watch is at 12 o’clock symbolises the end of life. The sitter is a member of the Order of the Starry Cross, which is exclusively for aristocratic ladies and still exists to this day. The portrait, which passed into the collection of the Düsseldorf Art Academy from Bensberg Castle, may depict a relative of Elector Palatine Johann Wilhelm.
AccessionCollection of the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf
Provenance[...]; seit 1932 Dauerleihgabe der Kunstakademie Düsseldorf
Inventory numberM 2146
