ARTWORKS

A Young Woman seated drawing

Gabriel Metsu (1629–1667)

The National Gallery, London

A Young Woman seated drawing

Image credit: The National Gallery, London

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This woman is engrossed in sketching a stone bust; hanging over the edge of the table is an engraving. Copying sculpture and images such as this was part of an artist’s training. In the background we can see an easel, as well as books, a globe and a classical arch and column, which evoke a wider world of learning and intellectual enquiry.Images of women quietly absorbed in their work were particularly popular at the time -- often they were maids or women of modest means doing domestic chores. But while a few women did work as artists, this room is too grand to be a painter’s studio, and the woman is expensively dressed. So this image goes beyond a simple lesson on the virtues considered ideal for women. It elevates artistic practice by stressing its intellectual context and also, by inference, it confirms the status of women as artists.

The National Gallery, London

London

Read more on The National Gallery, London
Title

A Young Woman seated drawing

Date

about 1655-60

Medium

Oil on oak

Measurements

H 36.3 x W 30.7 cm

Accession number

NG5225

Acquisition method

Presented by the 1st Viscount Rothermere, 1940

Work type

Painting

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The National Gallery, London

Trafalgar Square, London, Greater London WC2N 5DN England

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Artist or maker

Gabriel Metsu

1629–1667

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