Saskia(?) Sitting Up In Bed, Holding A Child

Rembrandt Harmensz van Rijn (1606 – 1669)

This spontaneous sketch of a mother cradling a newborn child, gazing from behind bed curtains, almost certainly depicts the artist’s wife, Saskia Uylenburgh, whom Rembrandt married in 1633. The fluently drawn soft forms and the delicate application of the chalk suggest an early date. The baby is probably the couple’s firstborn son, Rumbartus. Although this intimate study was not directly preparatory for another work of art, Rembrandt probably made it – as with many other depictions of Saskia – with his paintings and prints in mind.

Rembrandt Harmensz van Rijn (1606 – 1669), Saskia(?) sitting up in bed, holding a child, circa 1635 © The Samuel Courtauld Trust, The Courtauld Gallery, London