Quinquagesima (Tulpensonntag- Tulip Sunday)

Old Woman at Prayer, known as 'Prayer without End' (1656)
Nicolaes Maes, student of Rembrandt
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

In this painting a pious old woman is saying grace. On the table a simple meal has been prepared: bread, porridge, butter and salmon. A cat seizes its opportunity and tries to pull the food from the table. However, the woman does not allow this to disturb her prayer of thanks. Hence the painting is known as 'Prayer without End'. In the seventeenth century this tableau would have carried a message: do not allow desire to keep you from your duty to God.