Focus on Old Woman Reading and analyze the Description.
In Old Woman Reading, Dou shows his talent and an exceptional technical skill for his young age. Not only the old woman and her clothes are painted with great precision, but also the Biblical text in the lectionary and the accompanying print are also extremely detailed and clearly visible. What she reads is plain to see: the beginning of the 19th chapter of the Gospel of Luke, where it states that whoever really wants to do good should give as much of his earthly possessions to the poor. That message seems to contrast with the old woman's expensive clothing, who apparently still clings to her possessions.
Dou depicts the old woman in a remarkably realistic approach for his time by Northern European standards. He gives the viewer the feeling that he is close to the old woman, while she does not seem to notice it because of her rendering in profile and concentration on reading. The use of chiaroscuro, which he had learned from Rembrandt, is typical and emphasizes the most important details of the work. The background is smooth, sober and not distracting. Compositionally, the artist creates a soothing diagonal contrast between the upper left and the lower right parts.
chiaroscuro 19th chapter of the Gospel of Luke Rembrandt