Lot 493: LESIRE, PAULUS 1611 Dordrecht - nach 1656 - zugeschrieben Rembrandt-Schule. Bildnis einer alten Frau. Öl auf Holz. 21 x 16cm. Rahmen. Das kleinformatige Porträt (Tronje) einer alten Frau mit Haube und pelzverbrämten Kragen zeigt den deutlichen

LESIRE, PAULUS LESIRE
1611 Dordrecht - after 1656 - attributed

Rembrandt School. Portait of an old Woman. Oil on wood. 21 x 16cm. Framed.

This small-size portrait (tronje) of an old woman with a bonnet and fur-lined collar was clearly influenced by Rembrandt's early painting style. Looking at the beholder head-on, she seems surprised. Her hazy gaze through slightly reddened eyes is not in search of a vis-Ã -vis, but meditative and pensive. A very personal, very intimate depiction of a moment in time. Regardless of the painter's intention, this small painting appears to be a melancholic personification of old age.

The "tronje", reaching its peak as an independent form of art in the 17th century, was especially suited for character studies, which were not required to directly reflect reality. The masters alongside Rembrandt, or of his school, for instance Jan Lievens, Jacques de Rousseaux, Isaak de Joudreville, Paulus Lesire, Samuel Koninck and others served a very lucrative market with very sought-after tronjes. This is the context of our small panel "Portait of an old Woman".