Portrait of an old woman reading 1635

"Portrait of an Old Woman Reading" is a 1635 painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Gerrit Dou, renowned for his meticulous detail and intimate genre scenes. The painting, now housed in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, captures the quiet focus of an elderly woman engrossed in her book. Dou’s masterful use of light and shadow creates a sense of realism, highlighting the wrinkles on her face and the texture of the book's pages. This artwork exemplifies Dou's skill in portraying the everyday lives of ordinary people, making it a cherished example of Dutch realism.