Rembrandt (Rembrandt van Rijn) (Dutch, Leiden 1606–1669 Amsterdam), Hendrickje Stoffels (1626–1663), mid-1650s. Oil on canvas, 30 7/8 x 27 1/8 in. (78.4 x 68.9 cm). Gift of Archer M. Huntington, in memory of his father, Collis Potter Huntington, 1926. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 26.101.9. © 2000–2016 The Metropolitan Museum of Art. 

This subtly moving portrait is a depiction of Hendrickje Stoffels, Rembrandt's companion from about 1650 until her death in 1663, who modeled for the artist, cared for his son Titus, and bore him a daughter. The artist returned to the canvas at intervals and either left it unfinished or, because it was an informal portrait, was content with the rough state of the drapery and hand. Rembrandt has brilliantly described the emotional tenor of the sitter's gaze, as well as her jewelry and fur-lined wrap, leaving some critics to question whether she may represent Mary Magdalen or the sorrowing Virgin.

This work is exhibited in the "Unfinished: Thoughts Left Invisible" exhibition, on view through September 4th, 2016. #MetBreuer