Bedroom with Saskia in a Canopy Bed, Rembrandt van Rijn, c. 1638
pen and brown ink, with brown wash and opaque white, on paper toned with a light brown wash; framing line in brown ink, h 177mm × w 241mm Catalogue entry
Rembrandt’s wife, Saskia, sits upright in a canopy bed with heavy curtains. She looks pallid and is probably pregnant, given the nursing couch on the ground. These were usually made of wicker and had a cushion against which the woman could lean when nursing a baby. Saskia is probably pregnant with their first daughter, Cornelia, who lived only three weeks from July 1638.
