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Portrait of a Woman
About the Artwork
Because of an inscription on the back, this painting was long considered a portrait of Anna Maria van Schurman, a prominent Dutch scholar and artist. These words, however, were added much later and incorrectly state that Anna Maria was 42 years old, when in reality she would have been 39. Furthermore, Flinck's likeness does not resemble other known portraits of this famous woman. Although her identity remains unknown, his sitter has an austere dignity and emotional complexity that captures her individuality through the careful description of her expression and dress. Due to this naturalism and elegant formality, Flinck achieved wealth and a high social standing throughout the 1640s as one of Amsterdam's most popular portraitists, rivaling his former master, Rembrandt. Joachim Sandrart, a contemporary German painter, once commented that compared to Rembrandt's portraits, Flinck's "were more felicitous in the exactness and in the pleasing quality of the portrayal."
Inscriptions
Signed left: "G. Flinck 1646"
Provenance
Private Collection, Amsterdam, The Netherlands March 14, 1882: (Sale: "Tableaux Anciens", C.F. Roos, Amsterdam, March 14-15, 1882, lot 27.) Dirksen (?). Raedt van Oldenbarnevelt November 6-9, 1900: (Sale: Frederik Muller, Amsterdam, November 6-9, 1900, lot 35) In 1911: M. le Chevalier de Stuers December 11, 1923: (Sale: Frederik Muller, Amsterdam, December 11, 1923, lot 473). Hoschek, Prague, Czech Republic. Farrar July 8, 1925: (Sale: Sotheby’s, London, July 8, 1925, lot 42). Rothstien Kenyon-Slaney December 10, 1925: (Sale: Sotheby’s, London, December 10, 1925, lot 44). 1926: (Sale: Gebr. Douwes, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 1926). Victor de Stuers, Utrecht, The Netherlands -1939: Dr. Cornelis Johannes Karel van Aalst (1866-1939), Hoevelaken, The Netherlands, upon his death, by inheritance to his heirs. 1939-: Heirs of C. J. K. van Aalst Cramer, The Hague, The Netherlands. -1977: Mr. and Mrs. Noah L. Butkin, Shaker Heights, Ohio, by gift to the Cleveland Museum of Art, 1977. 1977-: The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
Exhibition history
Year in Review: 1977. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (December 28, 1977-January 22, 1978).
Quick Overview
- Artist
- Govaert Flinck (Dutch, 1615–1660)
- Date
- 1646
- Medium
- oil on wood
- Dimensions
- Framed: 101 x 90 x 5.5 cm (39 3/4 x 35 7/16 x 2 3/16 in.); Unframed: 71.5 x 59.5 cm (28 1/8 x 23 7/16 in.)
- Type
- Painting
- Classification
- Painting
- Department
- European Painting and Sculpture
- Credit line
- Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Noah L. Butkin
- Accession no.
- 1977.117
More by Govaert Flinck in museum collections
A Woman Asleep (recto); Landscape Composition with Well-Sweep (verso)
Govaert Flinck1633–36 · Drawing
Data retrieved from the Cleveland Museum of Art on October 8, 2026. The museum may have updated its record since.
Open-access museum record · AT-00009834
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