There are many paintings attributed to Rembrandt, the most famous seventeenth-century Dutch painter, but there are doubts that some of the paintings are truly by him. One such painting is "Portrait of an Elderly Woman in a White Bonnet" which was attributed to Rembrandt because of its style. The representation of the woman's face is very similar other portraits painted by Rembrandt, but there are problems that suggest it might not be a work by Rembrandt.

The reading and the lecture are both about Rembrandt famous painting "Portrait of an Elderly Woman in a White Bonnet". The author of the reading thinks that the portrait was actually not done drawn by Rembrandt and belongs to someone else. However, the lecture casts doubt on the claims made in the article. He stated that according to the recent research it has been proved that the portrait belongs to Rembrandt. Firstly the author suggests that Rembrandt is known for his paying attention to even the smallest details in his paintings and he therefore there should not be any inconsistency in his paintings. It is mentioned that the clothing of the cap of the woman in the painting is not at par with her coat. The lecturer challenges this opinion. He said that it has been proved in the research that the X-ray and pigment was not part of the original picture and must have been painted some 100 years after the actual creation to increase the value of the painting. Secondly the writer points out that there is some discrepancy in the lighting of the picture which is usually not of Rembrandt's style. The article mentions that due to dark color of the collar it absorbed greater amount of light and the face of the lady was partially in shadow. But, the famous painter should never commit an error of this kind. However, the lecturer doubts this claim by saying that according to the research the original picture was not in shadow and it was very much realistic with the lady in a simple cloth. Lastly it is stated in the article that the painting was drawn on a panel of woods pieces glued together and not on a single piece of wood panel which is the signature style of Rembrandt. On the other hand the lecturer argues that the research has proved that the picture was initially drawn on a single piece of wood but when the fur color was added those extra pieces of woods were also added. Rather the piece of wood used in the painting was from the same tree that was used for the hat.
Submitted by Sayani Bhunia on
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