Rembrandt van Rijn, Young Woman Sleeping, a drawing

This unconventional type of portrait of a sleeping woman was created by the famous Dutch artist, Rembrandt (1606-1669). The drawing is both affectionate and yet not a precise likeness of the sitter. She can only be recognised in generalised terms as Hendrickje Stoffels (about 1626-63), wife of the artist.
The study is drawn entirely with the brush in brown wash with some white bodycolour, which is experimental for Rembrandt who mostly used pen or chalk in his drawings. This technique is also most appealing to the modern eye, and reminds us of oriental drawings and calligraphy made with the brush.
With the tip of the brush and only a few broad strokes Rembrandt has rapidly and skilfully outlined the body of the sleeping woman. He also used the white of the paper to create not just her form but also the atmosphere surrounding her.

It is even possible to reconstruct Rembrandt’s order of drawing by observing the inkiness of the brush strokes: the lines appear thick and wet at the beginning but gradually dry out towards the end.

The drawing can be compared in style and appearance to Rembrandt's painting of Hendrickje, A Woman Bathing in a Stream (National Gallery, London). In the painting, dated 1654, she wears a similar, loose-fitting garment. She may have been pregnant because in the same year Hendrickje gave birth to their daughter Cornelia. She died in 1663 and was buried in the Westerkerk, Amsterdam, where Rembrandt was buried six years later.