Portrait of a Woman

A woman poses in front of a parapet, over which an Oriental carpet hangs. She wears a dress of luxurious, heavily brocaded fabric with a daring neckline. Strings of pearls wrap across her shoulders, wrist, and around her headpiece. Her face and chest are brightly lit, and she looks out at the viewer with an assertive gaze. Although her identity is unknown, she is obviously a woman of status and wealth. Jacob Adriaensz. Backer derived the woman's pose from Rembrandt, whose work greatly influenced him.