Old Woman Praying

Gerrit Dou completed this devotional scene showing an elderly woman absorbed in prayer over her meal. A simple table setting occupies the foreground while soft light illuminates her weathered face and clasped hands. Dou's detailed technique renders every texture with jewel-like precision.

Dou was Rembrandt's first student but developed his own style of highly finished small paintings. This work exemplifies his specialty in Dutch Golden Age genre scenes of quiet domestic piety. Now at the Louvre in Paris.