An old woman reading at a table

Abraham van Dijck is believed to have studied with Rembrandt in Amsterdam around 1650, though no documentary evidence confirming this is known. Van Dijck's most celebrated paintings are those depicting aged women praying or reading at a table, subjects he may well have derived from the works of his Dordrecht contemporary and fellow Rembrandt pupil Nicolaes Maes. Werner Sumowski dated this painting to circa 1655-60, comparing it to works such as the artist's masterful Old prophetess (Leipzig, Museum der Bildenden Künste) and emphasizing its 'excellent quality' (loc. cit.).