Public domain
The woman with the arrow
From the collection of Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
This portrayal of a seated woman is based on a life study of a model, which Rembrandt then placed in a narrative context. On the left, in the darkness to one side of the woman, a face appears. Perhaps the picture is meant to show Venus, as she steals the last arrow of the love god Cupid, although the subject has also been interpreted as Cleopatra with her lover.
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam’s own descriptionCredit lineDe vrouw met de pijl. 1661. Rembrandt van Rijn. Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. Public domain.
