Woman at her Toilet with her Maid ~ ca. 1650-51

“This panel of about 1650–51 introduces the most admired qualities of Ter Borch’s mature style, namely his extraordinary ability to describe surface textures. The painting is the earliest known example by the artist that presents full-length figures in a well-appointed domestic interior, anticipating many compositions by him and by artists such as Frans van Mieris, Gabriël Metsu, and Johannes Vermeer in which the same or a similar theme is addressed. Ter Borch’s half sister Gesina (1631–1690) was the model forthe young lady of the house, whose self-absorption contrasts with the alertness of the maid. She appears in other works by the artist, including Curiosity.”