Gabriël Metsu
A finely dressed woman, wearing a rich fur-trimmed jacket and jeweled earrings, is writing a letter. Although the content of the letter is unknown, it is for sure a love letter—the artists of Dutch Golden Age loved genre scenes with letter writers (including Vermeer). Metsu enhanced the momentary character of the scene by including the inquisitive brown and white dog, which eagerly peers up at its owner. The woman is looking at us directly and smiling. Many of Metsu’s genre scenes painted during the last few years of his life depict women whose facial features are based in various degrees on those of his wife, Isabella de Wolff. The woman from today's painting, however, is an exception. Mysterious!
P.S. Today is World Stationery Day! On this occasion, please check the -20% promo for our notebooks and postcard sets, perfect for writing love notes! :)
P.P.S. If you enjoy depictions of dogs in the paintings, here are a few of the dogs immortalized by art.