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Source Description
This older woman, in lace collar, pearl necklace, and cut-stone earrings, holds open a fashionable pocket watch. The meaning is only clear when seen with Nason's portrait of her husband (Dulwich Picture Gallery, London), also dated 1663. The velvet curtain and the marble column reflect wealth, but the book and skull before the husband are to be "read" with the watch: the couple urges the viewer to look beyond simple pleasures that pass like the ticking of a watch and prepare for the death that comes to all.Nason portrayed merchant and aristocratic clients in Amsterdam, England, and, finally, Berlin, where he worked for the German branch of the Orange family.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
28995
label
Portrait of a Woman
core
obj
dtoType
drawing
citationUrl
pageCount
2
Source metadata
id
28995
sourceUrl
contentType
drawing
stage
normalized
title
Portrait of a Woman
description
This older woman, in lace collar, pearl necklace, and cut-stone earrings, holds open a fashionable pocket watch. The meaning is only clear when seen with Nason's portrait of her husband (Dulwich Picture Gallery, London), also dated 1663. The velvet curtain and the marble column reflect wealth, but the book and skull before the husband are to be "read" with the watch: the couple urges the viewer to look beyond simple pleasures that pass like the ticking of a watch and prepare for the death that comes to all.Nason portrayed merchant and aristocratic clients in Amsterdam, England, and, finally, Berlin, where he worked for the German branch of the Orange family.
provenance
William T. Walters, Baltimore, prior to 1884, by purchase; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1894, by inheritance; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
date
1663 (Baroque)
citationUrl
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
genreSpecific
Painting & Drawing
oil paintings (visual works)
portraits
imageCount
2
pageCount
2
source
import
dimensions
units
cm
width
87.3
height
68.5
dimensionsRaw
H: 34 3/8 x W: 26 15/16 in. (87.3 x 68.5 cm)
Source extras
inscriptions
[Signature] Lower left: P. Nason f; [Date] Lower left: 1663 (?)
med
oil on canvas
creator_ids
5632
collection_ids
BAR
exhibition_ids
2517
Page inventory
seq
1
type
photo
mediaId
b8611656c15b1e01
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
2
type
photo
mediaId
e1fd45ba2bbdd88b
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no