Woman in a Red Dress

Woman in a Red Dress is a painting attributed to the Dutch artist Gabriël Metsu, created. It has been in England since 1828, and in the collection of Polesden Lacey in Surrey since 1922.

History and description

The motif of a figure presented in a "niche" follows a style made popular by Metsu's teacher and Dutch Golden Age painter Gerrit Dou. The female figure is a black woman dressed in a red bodice similar to that worn by Metsu's wife Isabella de Wolff in a portrait he painted soon after their wedding in Enkhuizen in 1658. Like other contemporary Leiden fijnschilders, Metsu has chosen the subject of a niche or window to frame his subject. The popular motif generally includes a curtain for a dramatic effect, and though Metsu painted curtains sparingly, he has chosen to place his subject prominently in front of a closed curtain here. Her portrayal at first glance needs no other supporting commentary, unlike his other "niche" paintings which are adorned with details in the typical "Dou" manner. A closer look reveals an interesting bas-relief under the window, which appears to be a variation by Metsu on François Duquesnoy's frieze of Children Playing with a Goat. Though its meaning is lost, the frieze offers a clue that this woman was someone connected to Metsu's circle and was possibly a model for other painters in Leiden.