Artwork
The Mourning Widow
The Mourning Widow is an oil painting by the Biedermeier artist Diederik Franciscus Jamin. It dates from 1860 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
About this work
Technique & Style
The Mourning Widow is an oil painting executed on canvas in portrait format, measuring 45 cm in height and 36.
The Mourning Widow is an oil painting executed on canvas in portrait format, measuring 45 cm in height and 36.5 cm in width. The work portrays a grieving widow and reflects the formal conventions of 19th-century Dutch portraiture, characterized by restrained composition and somber tonal harmony. The surface bears evidence of careful handling, with the paint layer remaining largely intact and the canvas support stable, indicating favorable preservation conditions within the Rijksmuseum’s collection.
Stylistically, the piece demonstrates Jamin’s precise draftsmanship and subtle use of chiaroscuro to convey emotional depth, aligning with the academic realism prevalent in mid-century European painting.
History & Provenance
The Mourning Widow was created by Diederik Franciscus Jamin in 1860, as indicated by both the artist’s records and museum documentation. The work entered the collection of the Rijksmuseum, where it remains held today.
The painting was formerly owned by Joannes Barnardus Antonius Maria Westerwoudt before its acquisition by the Rijksmuseum, establishing the earliest documented link in its provenance chain. Its creation coincides with Jamin’s mature period, when portraiture and genre scenes featuring contemporary Dutch subjects were central to his practice.
The Mourning Widow is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.
The painting is inventoried as object number SK-C-1182.
It has been exhibited once in modern times, included in the 1956 exhibition ‘Meesters der negentiende eeuw’ at the Rijksmuseum.
Overview
Diederik Franciscus Jamin’s oil painting The Mourning Widow, executed in 1860, is part of the Rijksmuseum’s collection. The work presents a close‑up portrait of an elderly woman, her expression solemn, set against an unadorned dark backdrop that isolates her visage.
Subject & Meaning
The figure is identified as a widow, her age evident in the creased, weathered skin that conveys a lifetime of hardship. The restrained composition, with the woman’s gaze directed outward, invites contemplation of loss and the quiet endurance of grief.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Diederik Franciscus Jamin (1838–1865) was an artist, born in Amsterdam.
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