Artwork
Pandora
Pandora is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Barend Graat. It dates from 1688 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
Barend Graat's 1676 oil painting depicts the mythological figure Pandora alongside a memorial gilded ewer created for the Amsterdam Guild in memory of the artist's brother. As a work of mythological genre, the composition centers on Pandora, the woman from Greek legend whose opening of a forbidden container released evils into the world. The inclusion of the specific guild ewer within the scene suggests a layered meaning, intertwining the classical narrative of curiosity and consequence with a personal or civic commemoration of the artist's sibling.
Technique & Style
Barend Graat’s Pandora is an oil painting on canvas measuring 113 by 102 cm, completed in 1676.
Barend Graat’s Pandora is an oil painting on canvas measuring 113 by 102 cm, completed in 1676.
The handling is consistent with mid-seventeenth-century Dutch academic practice: fluid, layered brushwork builds up the figure and drapery with smooth transitions, while highlights on the pearls and ewer are rendered with delicate glazes to suggest reflective surfaces. The composition centers Pandora, who holds a gilded ewer, against a neutral background that directs attention to the still-life elements and the mythological narrative.
The palette is restrained yet luminous, dominated by warm ochres and deep crimsons punctuated by the cool metallic sheen of the ewer and the ivory tones of Pandora’s gown.
History & Provenance
Created in 1676 in Amsterdam, the oil-on-canvas painting Pandora was executed by Barend Graat. The work is a mythological painting that depicts the figure of Pandora alongside a Memorial Gilded Ewer for the Amsterdam Guild, created in memory of the artist's brother. Currently held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum, the piece measures 113 cm in height and 102 cm in width.
While the specific commissioning details beyond the depicted memorial context are not detailed in the provided records, the work's inception is firmly dated to the year 1676.
Barend Graat's 1676 oil painting Pandora is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. The work, created in the same city, is a mythological canvas measuring 113 cm in height and 102 cm in width. While the source confirms its current location and physical dimensions, no specific inventory or accession number is provided in the available records. Furthermore, the documentation does not list any past or future exhibition history for this specific piece.
Overview
Barend Graat’s 1688 oil painting Pandora belongs to the Dutch Golden Age’s mythological genre. Executed in a single canvas, the work portrays a seated female figure with a child, accompanied by a gilded ewer that commemorates a member of the Amsterdam Guild. The painting is part of the Rijksmuseum’s collection.
Context
Graat, known for history paintings, altarpieces, landscapes, and portraits, also worked as a printmaker and draughtsman. Pandora reflects his versatility, merging mythological subject matter with a personal commemorative object, a practice not uncommon among Dutch artists who blended public commissions with private memorials.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
Barend Graat (21 September 1628, Amsterdam – 4 November 1709, Amsterdam), was a Dutch painter of history- and altarpieces, landscapes and portraits in the Golden Age. He is also known as a printmaker and draughtsman.
