Portrait of Mrs. W.J.S. van Alphen, Baroness van Reede van Oudtshoorn

What you see

The baroness sits facing us, shown to the waist, with a serious expression. Her dark hair is parted in the middle beneath a white cap with ribbons, and her black V-necked dress reveals a lace blouse fastened with a bow. Her hands rest low, one of them beside the back of a red armchair.

Almost everything is dark: the olive-green background and the dress melt into shadow. That is why the pale face and the white lace stand out, at the cap, the collar and the ruffled cuffs. Keep an eye out for the gold brooch at the neckline and the signature in red on the left. The surface shows a web of fine cracks.