Matthias Stomer

Painting has been tightly relined and has what appears to be an acrylic layer applied to the reverse of the canvas.The paint surface has been generally well retained and detail in the figure and costume still read well. However there are some areas that are a bit pressed and abraded, such as the turban, and there are scattered areas of old fills and retouching that are visible to the naked eye. These can be seen in both upper corners and in the shadowed sleeve of her arm and in the background to right of figure. Under ultraviolet light: there are scattered retouches throughout the composition. As well as the aforementioned areas, they can also be seen in her face, mostly on the right side, and in right side of turban, on her chest and right side of costume, and also scattered in part of her sleeve and on hand. There is a line of retouching with some small tears running off of it all along the bottom edge. This painting has clearly suffered and has been pulled together. Some of the old retouches could be redone more skillfully to better present the picture. Offered in a carved and gilt wood frame with black edge.
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Stomer's candle-lit half length depictions of old women are among the most recognizable and distinctive images to emerge from the northern Caravaggesque movement. Stomer treated the subject on a number of different occasions, though in nearly every instance imbues each image with individuality by adjusting the sitter's pose, gaze and subtle yet dramatic lighting effects. The present example comes closest to an Old Woman Shading a Candle in the Dresden Gemäldegalerie (see B. Nicolson, Caravaggism in Europe, Turin 1989, vol. I, p. 187, cat. no. 1520; reproduced vol. III, fig. 1520).