Saskia van Uylenburgh, the Wife of the Artist

Rembrandt van Rijn

National Gallery of Art

The face of a young woman with pale, peachy skin materializes from a deeply shadowed background in this vertical portrait painting. Shown from the waist up, her body is angled to our right, and her face turns to look at us. She has gray eyes, a rounded nose, and her pink lips are slightly parted. A golden veil covers long strawberry-blond hair and falls down over the shoulders of her dark dress. The dress has a high, white lace collar, and a gold chain hangs over her shoulders and on her chest. Painted mostly with deep browns and earth tones, the light that falls on her face and hair creates an aura-like effect.