Artwork

Portrait of Jacoba Vetter, Wife of Pieter Meijer Warnars, Bookseller in Amsterdam

Portrait of Jacoba Vetter, Wife of Pieter Meijer Warnars, Bookseller in Amsterdam is an oil painting by the Biedermeier artist Charles Howard Hodges. It dates from 1823 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.

About this work

Subject & Meaning

The painting emphasizes Jacoba’s role within the domestic sphere, aligning with the conventions of bourgeois portraiture in early 19th-century Dutch art.

The portrait depicts Jacoba Vetter, who is identified as the wife of Pieter Meijer Warnars, a bookseller in Amsterdam. She is shown in a private, indoor setting, seated and turned slightly to the side, with her hands resting in her lap.

The painting emphasizes Jacoba’s role within the domestic sphere, aligning with the conventions of bourgeois portraiture in early 19th-century Dutch art. Her attire, while not extravagant, suggests modesty and respectability, consistent with the social position of a bookseller’s wife. The work reflects the cultural emphasis on familial identity and private virtue during the period.

Technique & Style

Charles Howard Hodges executed the Portrait of Jacoba Vetter in 1823 using oil paint applied to a canvas support. The work measures 73.5 cm in height and 60 cm in width, adhering to the formal conventions of early 19th-century portraiture. As a painting classified within the portrait genre, the piece relies on the traditional medium of oil on canvas to render the likeness of Jacoba Vetter.

The physical dimensions and material composition define the object's presence as a standard-sized easel painting of its era.

History & Provenance

Charles Howard Hodges created the oil-on-canvas portrait of Jacoba Vetter in 1823. The work depicts Jacoba Vetter, the wife of Pieter Meijer Warnars, a bookseller based in Amsterdam. Historical records indicate that the painting was owned by Gerardina Meijer Warnars. The artwork is currently held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.

The Portrait of Jacoba Vetter, Wife of Pieter Meijer Warnars, Bookseller in Amsterdam is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. The painting, executed in oil on canvas by Charles Howard Hodges in 1823, depicts Jacoba Vetter. Historical records indicate the work was previously owned by Gerardina Meijer Warnars.

The provided sources do not contain specific inventory or accession numbers for the artwork, nor do they list any exhibition history.

Overview

Charles Howard Hodges, an English artist who worked in the Netherlands during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, painted this portrait in 1823. Executed in oil, the work belongs to the Biedermeier period and is part of the Rijksmuseum’s collection.