Artwork
Portrait of a woman

Portrait of a woman is an ivory painting by the Neoclassicist artist Gijsbertus Johannus van den Berg. It dates from 1800 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The sitter is presented without overt allegorical attributes, suggesting a focus on likeness rather than symbolic narrative.
The work depicts a single woman rendered in ivory, a format typical of late‑18th‑century portrait miniatures. The sitter is presented without overt allegorical attributes, suggesting a focus on likeness rather than symbolic narrative. As a portrait in the Rijksmuseum collection, it functions as a visual record of an unnamed female sitter, embodying the conventions of elite representation in Dutch painting of the period.
History & Provenance
The work titled Portrait of a woman was created in 1798 by Gijsbertus Johannus van den Berg. Executed on ivory, it is classified as a portrait and depicts a woman. The painting entered the collection of the Rijksmuseum, where it remains on display.
Portrait of a woman by Gijsbertus Johannus van den Berg is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum, where it is located. The work, dated 1798 and executed on ivory, forms part of the museum's holdings of portrait miniatures by the artist.
No specific inventory or accession number is recorded in the available sources, and no exhibition history is documented.
Context
Gijsbertus Johannus van den Berg created this ivory portrait in 1798, reflecting neoclassical conventions in Dutch painting through its restrained composition and focus on bourgeois subjectivity. The work demonstrates his engagement with Enlightenment-era sensibilities regarding gender and representation, particularly in its depiction of female dignity within private domesticity. As part of the Rijksmuseum's collection since its acquisition, the painting occupies a significant position within van den Berg's oeuvre, bridging 18th-century portraiture and early Romantic sensibilities in Dutch art history.
Overview
This ivory portrait, created by Gijsbertus Johannus van den Berg around 1800, is a representation of a woman. It is housed at the Rijksmuseum.
Technique & Style
The portrait is rendered on ivory, with a muted greenish-gray background that subtly contrasts with the subject's dark clothing, emphasizing her features.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Gijsbertus Johannus van den Berg
Gijsbertus Johannus van den Berg (1769–1817) was an artist, born in Rotterdam.


















