Sick Woman with a White Headdress (Saskia), Rembrandt van Rijn, c. 1645

Sick Woman with a White Headdress (Saskia), Rembrandt van Rijn, c. 1645

etching, h 63mm × w 51mm More details

In 1641 Saskia gave birth to her fourth child, a son, Titus. The joy was soon dampened by a wasting disease from which she suffered, probably tuberculosis. She was not yet 30 years old when she died in 1642. Rembrandt continued drawing her until the very end. He poignantly captured her vacant gaze in the etching at the right.