Skip to main content

Visit Main Menu Block

  • Hours & Admission
  • Accessibility & Amenities
  • Tours & Group Visits
  • Visitor Guidelines

Exhibitions and Events Main Menu Block

  • Exhibitions
  • Events

Art and Design Main Menu Block

  • The Collection
  • Projects & Publications
  • Past Exhibitions

Footer Main

  • Become a Member
  • Give
  • Who We Are
  • Opportunities
  • Rent the Museum

Image

Previous 1 2 / 2 Next

Gérard de Lairesse

Portrait of a Woman, Probably Marie Salme, the Artist’s Wife, ca. 1664

Now On View

Description

Maker

  • Gérard de Lairesse, 1640-1711, Flemish

Title

Portrait of a Woman, Probably Marie Salme, the Artist’s Wife

Year

ca. 1664

Medium

Red and black chalk on laid paper

Materials/Techniques

Materials

  • pencil,
  • chalk

Dimensions

16.7 x 14 cm (6 5/8 x 5 1/2 inches)

Signature / Inscription / Marks

Inscribed in pen and ink, in an old hand, on old mount: "d'Vrouw van Laresse"

Watermark: large arms of Amsterdam (similar to Heawood nos. 347-350; late 17th century)

Type

  • Works on Paper,
  • Drawings and Watercolors

Credit

Gift of Mrs. Gustav Radeke

Object Number

20.470

Exhibition History

Exhibition History

Drawing Closer

March 12 - September 4, 2022

A young woman confidently returns the gaze of the artist, who tenderly captures her likeness. Carefully executed using red and black chalk, this is a portrait of the artist’s wife, Marie Salme, made soon after their marriage. Lairesse patiently transcribed Marie’s clothing, her smooth complexion, the folds of her headdress, and even the delicate veil covering her forehead. Most unusually for an early modern portrait, the artist also chose to include the birthmark on his wife’s left cheek—a detail that enhances the drawing’s sense of intimacy and unedited realism.

Master Drawing from the Museum and a Private Collection

June 19 - October 27, 1946

Use

The images on this website can enable discovery and collaboration and support new scholarship, and we encourage their use. This object is in the public domain (CC0 1.0). This object is Portrait of a Woman, Probably Marie Salme, the Artist’s Wife with the accession number of 20.470. To request high-resolution files or new photography, please send an email to imagerequest@risd.edu and include your name and the object's accession number.

Feedback

We view our online collection as a living documents, and our records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you have additional information or have spotted an error, please send feedback to curatorial@risd.edu.

RISD Museum

  •  Facebook
  •  Twitter
  •  Instagram
  •  Vimeo
  •  Pinterest
  •  SoundCloud

Footer Main

  • Become a Member
  • Give
  • Who We Are
  • Opportunities
  • Rent the Museum

Footer Secondary

  • Image Request
  • Press Office
  • Rent the Museum
  • Terms of Use