Sitzende alte Frau in einem Buch lesend, sie hält die Brille in der Hand, Kniestück 

Johannes Pieter de Frey captured this image of an old woman reading with charcoal and chalk, immortalizing a moment of quiet contemplation. The figure's clothing directs us back to the late medieval Beguines, lay religious women living in community but not bound by vows, who were dedicated to prayer and charitable works. Consider the open book, a potent symbol. Since ancient times, the book has been synonymous with knowledge and divine wisdom. Observe how she holds her spectacles. This simple gesture is laden with meaning. The act of pausing from reading, of holding the glasses, suggests a moment of reflection, and hints at a deep engagement with the text, a processing of its contents. In many cultures, including ancient Greece and Rome, old age was associated with wisdom. The wrinkles and aged features of the subject serve to underscore the woman's learnedness and experience. The book is not merely an object but a mirror reflecting an interior landscape—the wisdom and experience etched by time. This image resonates far beyond its immediate subject, touching upon universal themes of aging, knowledge, and spiritual contemplation.