The young lady wearing a pearl necklace and an expensive dress in is Saskia Uylenburgh, portrayed at the age of 21. She was Rembrandt’s first wife and the love of his life. For a long time it was assumed that the portrait was Rembrandt's, but since 1968 it is clear that it is not. Now, fifty years later, it is certain that it was made by Rembrandt's pupil Govert Flinck.
Portrait of Saskia Uylenburgh, Govert Flinck, ca. 1635, Oil paint on canvas, Fries Museum, Leeuwarden. Loan from Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands
Govert Flinck followed the first part of his training as a painter in Leeuwarden with Lambert Jacobsz. As residents of the small Leeuwarden, Govert Flinck and Saskia knew each other. Both moved to Amsterdam in the same year (1634). Flinck to apprentice to Rembrandt van Rijn, Saskia as wife of Rembrandt.