Artwork
Portret van een ziek meisje in bed liggend

Portret van een ziek meisje in bed liggend is an ivory painting by the Biedermeier artist George Nikolaus Ritter. It dates from 1800 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The painting portrays a young girl lying ill in bed, a subject that conveys themes of fragility and vulnerability. The depiction draws on contemporary genre portrait conventions to emphasize the sitter's delicate condition and emotional state. Its representation of illness aligns with early 19th-century artistic interest in moral and physiological introspection.
Technique & Style
The formal qualities emphasize closeness and vulnerability, with the horizontal orientation reinforcing the subject's bedridden state.
The work is painted on ivory, an exceptionally small and delicate support measuring only 4.8 × 5.8 cm. This miniature scale demands precise, controlled handling and suggests an intimate, private function rather than public display. The artist employs a portrait genre format to depict a recumbent girl, using the smooth, luminous surface of ivory to achieve fine detail in a confined compositional space. The choice of ivory as support, common for portrait miniatures of this era, allows for subtle tonal gradations and a refined finish. The formal qualities emphasize closeness and vulnerability, with the horizontal orientation reinforcing the subject's bedridden state.
History & Provenance
George Nikolaus Ritter painted Portret van een ziek meisje in bed liggend in 1800, as established by its inception date. The work, executed on ivory, measures 4.8 by 5.8 centimeters.
The painting has been part of the Rijksmuseum’s collection, where it is currently housed. No documented commission or earlier ownership history preceding the museum’s acquisition is supported by the available sources.
The ivory portrait Portret van een ziek meisje in bed liggend by George Nikolaus Ritter is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum. Created in 1800, the work depicts a girl and measures 4.8 cm in height by 5.8 cm in width. The provided sources do not contain specific inventory or accession numbers for this piece, nor do they record any exhibition history.
Overview
Created in 1800, this intimate portrait by George Nikolaus Ritter shows a young girl reclining on a bed. Executed on ivory, the work is part of the Rijksmuseum’s collection. The composition focuses on the figure’s stillness, set against a modest interior that includes blue‑trimmed curtains and a small bottle placed near her.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection


















