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 Worcester Art Museum - Worcester, MA Posted by:  neoc1
N 42° 16.389 W 071° 48.137
19T E 268908 N 4683907
The painting An Old Woman Praying by Nicholas Maes contains the image of an hourglass to represent mortality. The painting is on display at the Worcester Art Museum at 55 Salisbury Street in Worcester, MA.
Waymark Code: WM17Y51
Location: Massachusetts, United States
Date Posted: 04/20/2023
Views: 1
The painting An Old Woman Praying by Nicholas Maes contans the image of an hourglass in the lower right quadrant of the painting. The hourglass is set within a red frame and the sand is running out.
The sign next to the painting gives the reason why the artist included an hourglass in his paining "An Old Woman Praying:
Nicolaes Maes
Dutch, 1634-93
An Old Woman Praying, about 1655
Oil on canvas
Museum Purchase, 1924.14
In the years after Maes completed his training
with Rembrandt, he painted genre paintings, like
this one, before turning exclusively to portraiture,
which was more lucrative and offered steadier
commissions. Interestingly, an x-ray of this canvas
reveals that the image we see is painted over a
three-quarter-length portrait of a young woman.
Several paintings from about 1655 appear to
feature the same older female model shown here.
The inclusion of an hourglass, skull, plaster head
of a child, books, snuffed candle, and roses
infuse the composition with the theme of human
mortality. Be sure to note how Maes cleverly
signed this painting on a slip of paper on the right
edge.
What type of hourglass is it?: Hourglass
Is this hourglass accessible 24/7?: no
If the hourglass is not accessible 24/7, open hours for the location of the hourglass:
https://www.worcesterart.org/information/hours-and-admission/
Wednesday – Sunday, 10am–4pm
Galleries closed: Mondays*, Tuesdays and the following holidays: New Year's Day, Easter Sunday, Independence Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas
* Special Monday holiday hours
The Museum is open 10am–4pm with free admission on the following Monday holidays:
Indigenous Peoples’ Day (October 10, 2022)
Martin Luther King Jr. Day (January 16, 2023)
Presidents Day (February 20, 2023)
Patriots Day (April 17, 2023)
Juneteenth (June 19, 2023)
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Visit Instructions:
You must provide proof of your visit, it can be in the form of an original photo that you have taken of the hourglass, or a description of the hourglass and of your visit. "Armchair" visits will be deleted.
If you can provide additional information about the hourglass, this will be welcome.
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