Portrait of Johan Arnold Zoutman

The portrait was commissioned and completed in 1801 by Cornelis van Cuylenburgh, as recorded in institutional documentation.

By 1801 the work had entered the collection of the Rijksmuseum, where it remains housed. The painting is listed in the museum’s holdings at Villa Welgelegen in the National Art Gallery of the Netherlands, with its dimensions recorded as 113 cm in height and 86 cm in width.

The Portrait of Johan Arnold Zoutman is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, also known as the National Art Gallery of the Netherlands. While the work is associated with the Rijksmuseum, the source data also references Villa Welgelegen in relation to the collection. The painting was created on January 1, 1801, by Cornelis van Cuylenburgh.

The provided sources do not contain specific inventory or accession numbers for the work, nor do they list any exhibition history or dates on which the portrait has been displayed publicly.

Portrait of Johan Arnold Zoutman, painted in 1801 by Cornelis van Cuylenburgh, is recognized as a representative example of early nineteenth-century Dutch portraiture. The work entered the collection of the Rijksmuseum and has been featured in exhibitions that highlight the artistic transition between the Dutch Republic’s legacy and modernist developments. Its technical execution in oil on canvas and lifelike representation of Johan Zoutman contributed to the stylistic lineage observed in later Dutch portrait painters, influencing subsequent generations of artists who sought to blend realism with emerging Romantic sensibilities.

The painting’s inclusion in major institutional displays cemented its role in scholarly discussions of portraiture’s evolution, and its preservation underscores its significance within the broader narrative of Dutch art history.

Painted in 1801 by Cornelis van Cuylenburgh, the Portrait of Johan Arnold Zoutman depicts the Dutch naval officer in a formal, three-quarter length stance. The composition places the sitter against a dark, neutral curtain that isolates his figure and emphasizes his attire: a black coat with gold trim over a red waistcoat featuring intricate gold embroidery. Zoutman stands with a table to his left, upon which rests a rolled document and a map, visual cues referencing his administrative and strategic duties.

He holds a sword in his right hand, a traditional symbol of his military rank and authority. This work exemplifies the late 18th-century Dutch portrait tradition, balancing individual likeness with the iconography of public service. Created during a period of political transition in the Netherlands, the painting serves as a dignified record of Zoutman's career, utilizing the artist's precise technique to render the textures of fabric and metal.

Van Cuylenburgh, active primarily in Amsterdam, produced this portrait to commemorate the subject's status, adhering to the conventions of elite portraiture where personal identity is constructed through specific props and costume details.