Portrait of a Girl Dressed as a Shepherdess Possibly 1665

This is an anonymous painting held at the Städel Museum, titled 'Portrait of a Girl Dressed as a Shepherdess', of unknown date. Encased in an oval frame, the composition presents a young girl in elaborate costume. The colour palette is soft, dominated by blues and whites, which creates a serene, almost dreamlike, ambiance. The textures are subtly rendered, from the smooth skin of the subject to the gentle folds of her draped clothing, suggesting a material richness. The pose and the trappings of pastoral life—the crook and the hat—establish a dialogue with artifice and reality. The subject's gaze, directed towards the viewer, challenges any simple reading of the pastoral ideal. Instead, the artwork sets up a tension between the constructed identity and the individual's presence. This tension destabilizes the categories of portraiture and genre painting, inviting us to reflect on representation itself.