Portrait of Margaretha de Geer, Wife of Jacob Trip
- Artist: Rembrandt
- Date: about 1661
- Medium: oil on canvas
- Museum: The National Gallery
- Collection record: The National Gallery website
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About this artwork
This is the Portrait of Margaretha de Geer, Wife of Jacob Trip by Rembrandt. Painted in the Netherlands around 1661, it's one of a pair of portraits made for the couple's grand residence in Amsterdam.
Rembrandt has created a fascinating contrast between the couple. While Margaretha meets our gaze head on, her husband sits askew, his mind apparently elsewhere. The artist used different painting techniques to capture their unique personalities - Jacob is rendered with swift brushwork, while Margaretha's skin and ruff are worked with great intensity.
Margaretha was 79 years old at the time of this portrait, a vibrant energy still radiating from her face. Her husband, on the other hand, was likely dying or had recently passed away - his pose is asymmetrical and his features are in shadow.
The contrast between their clothing is also striking - Jacob's simple scarf is suggested with minimal brushstrokes, while Margaretha's exquisite millstone ruff is depicted with extreme delicacy. The starched precision of the pleats fills the painting with light that glows around her face.
See it in person
Portrait of Margaretha de Geer, Wife of Jacob Trip 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.
