Pieter de Grebber depicts the repentant sinner as a near life-sized half-length figure. She kneels with her hands folded in her lap, gazing at a crucifix leaned against a rock. She is depicted before a neutral background, and only the rock - which partially obscures the figure - defines the pictorial space. The grey-green tone provides a backdrop before which the female figure with her fluidly painted flesh and vividly colored clothing can shine more brightly.

Pieter de Grebber was a fascinating artistic personality generally related to the Dutch Classicists. He was a highly regarded painter who received commissions from the Stadtholder Frederick Hendrik and was among the artists charged with decorating the Oranjezaal ...