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Anna Maria van Schurman (1607--1678) was one of the most important thinkers of her day and the first woman in the Netherlands to attend university. She was well known in European intellectual circles, and was an accomplished artist, poet and linguist, as well as a passionate advocate of women’s rights to education.In this portrait, Lievens focuses on her status as a writer. She sits upright and looks at us directly and confidently, modestly but expensively dressed in a fur wrap and chemise. He also portrays her in an active, not reflective, light. The book which she holds has, or at least appears to have, blank pages. So she is not reading, but about to write: her pen and inkstand stand ready before her on the oriental rug which covers her desk.

The National Gallery, London

London

Title

Portrait of Anna Maria van Schurman

Date

1649

Medium

Oil on canvas

Measurements

H 87 x W 68.6 cm

Accession number

NG1095

Acquisition method

Presented by the Trustees of the British Museum, 1880

Work type

Painting

The National Gallery, London

Trafalgar Square, London, Greater London WC2N 5DN England

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Artist or maker

Jan Lievens

1607–1674

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