The Prophetess Anna
1639 | Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn
This depiction of an elderly woman found in many of Rembrandt’s early paintings has traditionally been seen as a portrait of his mother. Her walking-stick and prayer shawl indicate that she is the prophetess Anna, who in the Gospel According to Luke (2:36–38) recognised the boy Jesus in the temple as the Redeemer. The thin and almost transparent paintwork, however, is a strong departure in technique from that of other works by Rembrandt. Thus this must probably be regarded as a copy by Govaert Flinck of a Rembrandt painting that has been lost.
This depiction of an elderly woman found in many of Rembrandt’s early paintings has traditionally been seen as a portrait of his mother. Her walking-stick and prayer shawl indicate that she is the prophetess Anna, who in the Gospel According to Luke (2:36–38) recognised the boy Jesus in the temple as the Redeemer. The thin and almost transparent paintwork, however, is a strong departure in technique from that of other works by Rembrandt. Thus this must probably be regarded as a copy by Govaert Flinck of a Rembrandt painting that has been lost.
Artist:
Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn mit Werkstattüberarbeitungen (1606 Leiden - 1669 Amsterdam) DNB
Time:
1639
Object Name
Painting
Culture
Dutch
Material/technology:
oak wood
Dimensions:
zum Oval beschnitten: cut to an oval: 79,5 cm × 61,7 cm
Framed: 102 cm × 84,5 cm × 9,5 cm
Signed
Inscribed at lower left: Rembrandt f. 1639
Copyright
Kunsthistorisches Museum, Gemäldegalerie
Invs.
Gemäldegalerie, 408
Provenance
1772 from the Bratislava castle to Vienna