On the supposition that this work is the pendant of Mor's self-portrait at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, it was quickly identified with the painter's wife, Metgen. Its style led it to be dated in 1555, but that date doesn't match the clothing, which is of a somewhat later style. This hypothesis is no longer accepted, nor are other later ones.

This work must have been painted as a pair with a portrait of her husband, as is suggested by her gaze and the presence of a dog, which symbolizes marital faithfulness. Her dress denotes her Flemish origin and her bourgeois condition. The fact that she is seated, like Mary Tudor [Cat. 2108] illustrates how the bourgeoisie used this type of portrait associated with nobility.