A Young Woman Writing
- Artist: Jan Sanders van Hemessen
- Date: about 1530
- Medium: oil on wood
- Museum: The National Gallery
- Collection record: The National Gallery website
Listen to the free audio guide
About this artwork
This is the "A Young Woman Writing" by Jan Sanders van Hemessen. Painted in the Flemish tradition around 1530, this oil on wood painting depicts a young woman sitting at a table, holding a quill pen.
On the table next to her is a pen case attached to a dark brown inkpot with brownish strings. The artist's intention was not for us to read what she's writing. We can't decipher it.
The style of her dress suggests that this painting dates back to around 1530. Some art historians think that our painting might be a copy of a lost original by van Hemessen, showing a young woman as Mary Magdalene. She was a follower of Christ and one of the most popular saints in the Middle Ages.
It's worth noting that this painting has been cut on all four sides, so it may have originally been part of a larger composition. We can't be certain about its exact origins or purpose, but it's clear that it's a fascinating piece from the Flemish school.
See it in person
A Young Woman Writing hangs in The National Gallery on Trafalgar Square, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
