A Woman Holding a Pink
Rembrandt van Rijn·1656
Historical Context
Rembrandt's Woman Holding a Pink (1656) at the National Gallery of Art depicts a female figure — possibly his late companion Hendrickje Stoffels — holding a carnation (pink) in a portrait of quiet, warm intimacy. The carnation, traditionally associated with betrothal and marriage, gives the figure's pose an affectionate significance that goes beyond mere portraiture. Rembrandt's intimate female portraits of the 1650s — many possibly depicting Hendrickje, who lived with him after Saskia's death and provided domestic stability through his financial crisis — have a quality of personal warmth and mutual recognition that distinguishes them from his commissioned portraits.
Technical Analysis
The late portrait shows Rembrandt's characteristic broad handling with warm, glowing flesh tones. The pink flower provides a delicate color accent against the warm browns of the costume, rendered with precise but fluid brushwork.
Provenance
Pierre Crozat [1665-1740], Paris, before 1740; by inheritance to his nephews, first to Louis-François Crozat, marquis du Châtel [1691-1750], Paris, and then [on Louis-François' death without a male heir] to Louis-Antoine Crozat, baron de Thiers [1699-1770], Paris; the latter's heirs; purchased 1772, through Denis Diderot [1713-1784] as an intermediary, by Catherine II, empress of Russia [1729-1796], for the Imperial Hermitage Gallery, Saint Petersburg; sold March 1931, as a painting by Rembrandt, through (Matthiesen Gallery, Berlin; P. & D. Colnaghi & Co., London; and M. Knoedler & Co., New York) to Andrew W. Mellon, Pittsburgh and Washington, D.C.; deeded 30 March 1932 to The A.W. Mellon Educational and Charitable Trust, Pittsburgh; gift 1937 to NGA.
