An elegantly dressed man and woman are in a vague, dark room. The man has lovingly placed his arm around the woman's shoulder and a hand on her breast. Very carefully she touches his hand with her fingertips. Both are staring straight ahead, they seem deep in thought. A few objects can be recognised in the obscure background: beside the woman is a plant in a pot and behind her an architectural fragment. The picture, called the 'Jewish Bride', was painted by Rembrandt in 1667.
It is fascinating to see how Rembrandt has employed different techniques in this painting. He has alternated broad strokes with fine lines, thick marks with dry, bristly strokes. The faces and hands have been quite smoothly painted, whereas thick clods of paint have been applied to the canvas for the clothing. In the thick layers of paint on the sleeve the print of the palette knife Rembrandt used to apply the paint is clearly visible. This is how he gave his canvases relief, a characteristic of Rembrandt's later work.
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