Processing
Oil pictography in the ‘Retouch’ category on seasoned solid wood panel. Worked with a magnifying glass. Retouched with Maimeri and Winsor & Newton colours. Solid wood panel with anti-warping crossbars (from 30x40 cm); concealed hook for wall mounting. Panel thickness 18/27 mm.
History
The painting represents one of the high points of genre painting in the Dutch Golden Age. The work is currently housed in the National Gallery of Ireland in Dublin, where it is displayed alongside Man Writing a Letter, with which it forms a diptych of obvious narrative and symbolic value.
The scene depicts a young woman, elegantly dressed, caught in the intimate and reflective act of reading a letter. The domestic environment surrounding her is rendered with great attention to detail: the oriental carpet, the furniture, and the light filtering delicately into the interior contribute to creating a cozy atmosphere, marked by quiet and introspection. Next to the woman, a maid stands watching the scene discreetly, suggesting a specific social context and, at the same time, a silent interaction between the characters.
The work, like its male counterpart, goes beyond a simple description of everyday life and can be interpreted as a subtle allegory of love and long-distance communication. The act of reading, combined with the presence of the servant and the care taken with the surroundings, suggests an emotional content in the correspondence, revealing a restrained but eloquent emotional dimension.
Woman Reading a Letter demonstrates Metsu's ability to combine realistic rendering of domestic scenes with profound psychological and narrative sensitivity, making the work one of the most accomplished examples of 17th-century Dutch intimate painting.
Gabriel Metsu, Woman Reading a Letter (RETOUCH)