REMBRANDT Harmenszoon van Rijn
(b. 1606, Leiden, d. 1669, Amsterdam)

Saskia as Flora

1634
Oil on canvas, 125 x 101 cm (transferred to new canvas)
The Hermitage, St. Petersburg

Catalogue number: Bredius 102.

Rembrandt's brand-new bride, Saskia van Uylenburgh, was probably the model for Flora, the Roman goddess of flowers, springtime and fertility, here crowned with flowers and dressed in a costly gown. On 22 July 1634 Rembrandt married Saskia, and in the same year he painted his Flora.

Rembrandt portrayed a modest, charming Flora, dressed in a rather oriental costume. Her floral finery includes a red tulip, in those days a flower both costly and popular. Flowers also entwine the stick in her hand. The foliage in the background indicates the outdoor setting.