Jan Lievens, 'Portrait of Anna Maria van Schurman', 1649
About the work
Overview
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.
Key facts
Details
- Full title
- Portrait of Anna Maria van Schurman
- Artist
- Jan Lievens
- Artist dates
- 1607 - 1674
- Date made
- 1649
- Medium and support
- oil on canvas
- Dimensions
- 87 × 68.6 cm
- Inscription summary
- Signed; Dated and inscribed
- Acquisition credit
- Presented by the Trustees of the British Museum, 1880
- Inventory number
- NG1095
- Location
- Not on display
- Collection
- Main Collection
About this record
If you know more about this painting or have spotted an error, please contact us. Please note that exhibition histories are listed from 2009 onwards. Bibliographies may not be complete; more comprehensive information is available in the National Gallery Library.
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