Man Offering Money to a Young Woman by Judith Leyster - 1631 - 30.8 x 24.2 cm Mauritshuis, The Hague Man Offering Money to a Young Woman by Judith Leyster - 1631 - 30.8 x 24.2 cm Mauritshuis, The Hague

Man Offering Money to a Young Woman

oil on panel • 30.8 x 24.2 cm
  • Judith Leyster - c. July 28, 1609 - February 10, 1660 Judith Leyster 1631

This painting is by one of the few women painters of the 17th century: Judith Leyster. It is an early work by Leyster, who was only 22 years old in 1631.

By the light of an oil lamp, a young woman is bowed over her needlework, with her feet on a foot warmer. A man is trying to attract her attention with a handful of coins; he wants to buy her love. But the woman does not respond to his offer and works on undisturbed. She is a model of virtuousness. The foot warmer was a pictorial code of the time and represented the woman's marital status. This code can also be seen in Vermeer's The Milkmaid and Dou's The Young Mother.

We present this painting thanks to one of our most favorite museums—the Mauritshuis in the Hague. Have a great Monday!  : )

P.S. Who wouldn’t love to discover an unknown original painting by Johannes Vermeer? Read here about the best Vermeer’s forger and his fakes!