Artwork
Portrait of Louis Métayer Phz., Goldsmith and Art Collector
Portrait of Louis Métayer Phz., Goldsmith and Art Collector is an oil painting by the Rococo painting artist George van der Mijn. It dates from 1759 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The portrait depicts Louis Métayer, a prominent French goldsmith and collector, rendered by George van der Mijn in 1759. The work emphasizes his status as a skilled artisan and connoisseur within 18th-century French artistic circles. It is housed in the Rijksmuseum collection, reflecting its cultural significance.
Technique & Style
The portrait is executed in oil paint on canvas, measuring 63.
The portrait is executed in oil paint on canvas, measuring 63.5 by 49 cm. The medium and support follow the standard conventions of mid-eighteenth-century Dutch portraiture, with oil on canvas providing a durable and versatile surface for detailed characterization.
As a work of 1759 by George van der Mijn, the painting exemplifies the formal portrait tradition of its period, presenting the sitter with the directness and attention to social status typical of the genre. The artist's handling would have served to convey the professional standing of Louis Métayer as a goldsmith and art collector, though specific brushwork details are not recorded in the available sources.
History & Provenance
The Portrait of Louis Métayer Phz., Goldsmith and Art Collector is held in the Rijksmuseum collection. Its inventory number is SK-A-1661. The work has been part of exhibitions at the Rijksmuseum, including the display of Dutch 18th-century portraiture.
The painting was created in 1759 and measures 63.5 cm by 49 cm.
Context
The 1759 oil portrait of Louis Métayer, attributed to George van der Mijn and housed in the Rijksmuseum, exemplifies 18th-century Dutch portraiture through its formal composition and restrained palette. Contemporary scholarship notes the work's significance in documenting the careers of skilled artisans who also collected art, linking Métayer's dual identity as goldsmith and collector to broader Enlightenment-era networks of professional prestige. The painting's dimensions (63.5 cm × 49 cm) and medium align with mid-century Dutch portrait conventions, while its presence in the Rijksmuseum collection underscores institutional recognition of van der Mijn's role in preserving bourgeois professional identities.
Overview
George van der Mijn’s 1759 oil portrait presents Louis Métayer, a goldsmith and collector, seated in a modest interior. The sitter wears a dark green coat trimmed with gold buttons and a white cravat, holding a rolled document. A calm, slightly averted gaze and soft illumination draw attention to his face and hands, while the muted backdrop functions as a visual restraint.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Self-Portrait
Self-Portrait
Self-portrait
Portrait of a Man
Heinrich XIV. Reuss Elder Line (Reuß ältere Linie) (1749-1799)
Portrait of the Engraver Pasqual Pere Moles, first director of the Escola de Llotja
Portrait of Joseph Henry of Straffan
Portrait of the Artist's Father, Ismael Mengs
Self-Portrait
Portrait of Salomon Rendorp, Brewer in Amsterdam
Portrait of Pieter Parker, Alderman, Burgomaster and Councilor of Goes- Portrait of Louis Métayer Phz., Goldsmith and Art Collector