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A Woman holding a Mirror

Image credit: The National Gallery, London

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Pieter Codde was an Amsterdam painter who specialised in genre scenes of everyday life. And this is just how A Woman Holding a Mirror of 1625, his earliest known work, can be seen. An attractive and well-dressed woman has tried on various outfits – a discarded dress lies on the table – and is now checking her appearance. In looking out at the viewer she invites us to approve of her choice.

Around this central scene Codde has added little distractions for the eye, such as a flash of her gown’s red lining, a cat by her feet staring at an unsuspecting mouse, and paintings on the wall that are pictures within the picture. Codde was also a portraitist so the woman may perhaps be based on a real person. But whoever she was, it is a pleasure to observe her as she goes about her daily routine.

The National Gallery, London

London

Title

A Woman holding a Mirror

Date

1625

Medium

Oil on oak

Measurements

H 38.1 x W 33.7 cm

Accession number

NG2584

Acquisition method

Salting Bequest, 1910

Work type

Painting

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Normally on display at

The National Gallery, London

Trafalgar Square, London, Greater London WC2N 5DN England

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