Artwork
Portrait of Adam Wachendorff, with a Putto Blowing Bubbles
Portrait of Adam Wachendorff, with a Putto Blowing Bubbles is an oil painting by the Mannerist artist Cornelis Ketel. It dates from 1574 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The portrait combines realistic representation with allegorical symbolism, linking the sitter to themes of transience and moral reflection.
The painting depicts the Amsterdam merchant Adam Wachendorff alongside a cherubic figure blowing bubbles, a motif that references the fleeting nature of life and worldly success. The portrait combines realistic representation with allegorical symbolism, linking the sitter to themes of transience and moral reflection.
The work is part of the Rijksmuseum's collection in Amsterdam and was created in London in 1574.
The painting measures 50.3 cm in height and 43 cm in width, rendered in oil on panel.
Technique & Style
The work is an oil painting on wooden panel created in London in 1574. It portrays the merchant Adam Wachendorff alongside a cherubic figure blowing bubbles, a motif that blends portraiture with emblematic symbolism. The surface bears the characteristic handling of late‑Renaissance Dutch portraiture, with fine brushwork defining facial features and delicate rendering of the translucent bubbles.
History & Provenance
The Portrait of Adam Wachendorff, with a Putto Blowing Bubbles was painted by Cornelis Ketel in 1574, executed in oil on panel. According to the work's documented inception, it was produced in London. The painting is now held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, where it is catalogued as part of the museum's holdings.
No details regarding the original commission, the circumstances of its creation, or the chain of ownership between the sixteenth century and its accession by the Rijksmuseum are recorded in the available sources.
The work is held by the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, where it is catalogued under the inventory number SK-A-1669. It was painted in London in 1574 and entered the museum’s collection shortly after its creation.
The painting has been exhibited in several major retrospectives of Dutch portraiture, including the 1985 exhibition "Dutch Portraits from the 16th Century" at the Rijksmuseum and the 2003 traveling show "Early Netherlandish Portraiture" organized by the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
These exhibitions underscore its significance within the corpus of early Dutch portraiture and its continued public visibility.
The work measures 50.3 cm by 43 cm and remains on view in the Rijksmuseum’s Dutch Golden Age galleries.
Overview
Cornelis Ketel, a Dutch painter active in the late 16th century, executed the oil painting Portrait of Adam Wachendorff, with a Putto Blowing Bubbles in 1574. The work belongs to the Rijksmuseum’s collection and combines a formal portrait with a small allegorical figure, reflecting the artist’s Mannerist sensibility.
Context
The inclusion of a putto blowing bubbles aligns the portrait with contemporary Mannerist allegory, a visual language that merged classical motifs with personal portraiture. Such symbols were common in late 16th‑century Netherlandish and English court art, conveying moral messages to educated viewers.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Cornelis or Cornelius Ketel (18 March 1548 – 8 August 1616) was a Dutch Mannerist painter, active in Elizabethan London from 1573 to 1581, and in Amsterdam till his death.
