Sick woman with a large white headdress (Saskia)

"Sick woman with a large white headdress (Saskia)" by Rembrandt van Rijn is a deeply personal and poignant graphic work created around 1645. This remarkable piece, classified as a print rendered on paper, provides an intimate glimpse into the private life of the celebrated Dutch master during a period marked by personal loss and introspection following the death of his wife.

The subject is widely accepted to be Saskia van Uylenburgh, who passed away in 1642. She is depicted wearing a substantial white headdress or cap, often associated with convalescence or illness in 17th-century portraiture. While the exact technique utilized by Rijn is characteristic of the graphic arts of the era, the handling of the line work is swift and immediate, suggesting a preliminary sketch or a memory captured shortly before her death. This intimacy sets the work apart from Rijn’s more formal commissions.

This piece exemplifies Rijn's unparalleled skill in evoking profound emotion through simple means. The artist, during the Dutch Golden Age, transformed the medium of prints, demonstrating an ability to convey psychological depth rarely matched by his contemporaries. The contrast between the stark white linen and the shadowed face emphasizes her delicate state, a common theme in the few depictions of the ailing Saskia.

This masterwork resides in the esteemed collection of the Rijksmuseum, forming a crucial part of their extensive holdings of 17th-century Dutch art and prints. As a significant image available through public domain collections, this work continues to be studied globally for its technical subtlety and its historical reflection of the complexities of Rijn’s personal narrative.