Artwork
Portret van een man

Portret van een man is an ivory painting by the Rococo painting artist Daniël Bruyninx. It dates from 1750 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The work belongs to the portrait genre, a category that in the eighteenth century typically conveyed social status, personal identity, or familial connection.
This miniature portrait depicts an unidentified man, rendered on an ivory support measuring 3 × 2.4 cm. The work belongs to the portrait genre, a category that in the eighteenth century typically conveyed social status, personal identity, or familial connection. The choice of ivory as a medium, rather than the more common canvas or panel, suggests a precious, intimate object, likely intended for private contemplation or as a keepsake. The small scale implies the portrait may have been designed to be held in the hand, worn, or preserved in a portable case, emphasizing personal attachmentnesis between viewer and subject.
No specific attributes or emblems are recorded, leaving the man's individual identity and any symbolic program unrecoverable from the available documentation.
Technique & Style
Created in 1750 by Daniël Bruyninx, the work Portret van een man is executed on an ivory support. The piece is classified as a painting rather than a miniature or drawing, depicting a male subject in the portrait genre. Physically, the artwork measures 3 cm in height and 2.4 cm in width. It is currently held within the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
History & Provenance
The portrait titled Portret van een man was created in 1750 by the artist Daniël Bruyninx. Executed on ivory, this small-scale painting depicts a male subject. The work is currently held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum, where it remains located.
No further details regarding its original commission, specific ownership history prior to the museum, or the circumstances of its creation are provided in the available records.
Context
Daniël Bruyninx's 'Portret van een man' (1750) exemplifies 18th-century Dutch portraiture's focus on dignified individual representation, painted on ivory and housed at the Rijksmuseum. Scholarship emphasizes its technical mastery within the artist's oeuvre and its significance in documenting Enlightenment-era civic identity through portraiture.
Overview
Created around 1750, this small portrait is attributed to the Dutch painter Daniël Bruyninx. Executed on a round piece of ivory, the work presents a single male sitter in a restrained, intimate format. The painting is part of the Rijksmuseum’s collection, where it is displayed among other 18th‑century Dutch portraiture.
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