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Artwork

Portrait of Catharina Behaghel (1597-1666), wife of Rogier Le Witer

Jacob Jordaens , 1635

Portrait of Catharina Behaghel (1597-1666), wife of Rogier Le Witer is an oil painting by the Flemish Baroque painting artist Jacob Jordaens. It dates from 1635 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.

About this work

The background features a red curtain draped over a gold-framed archway, with a gold statue of a woman on the right side.

This portrait depicts a woman seated in a chair, wearing a dark dress with a white ruffled collar and cuffs. Her dark hair is pulled back, and she holds a fan in her right hand. The background features a red curtain draped over a gold-framed archway, with a gold statue of a woman on the right side.

The woman's attire and the ornate background suggest a formal portrait from the 17th century. The level of detail in the painting, particularly in the folds of the woman's clothing and the textures of the background elements, indicates a high level of skill on the part of the artist.

The painting's use of chiaroscuro, a technique that uses strong contrasts between light and dark to create a sense of volume and depth, adds to its visual impact. To learn more about this technique, look up chiaroscuro.

Technique & Style

The portrait is executed in oil paint on canvas, a standard support for Jacob Jordaens's portraits of this scale. According to the catalogue record, the work measures 152 cm in height and 118 cm in width, a substantial format consistent with formal married-couple and single-figure commissions of the 1630s. The painting belongs to the Rijksmuseum collection and is classified as a portrait genre work dated 1635.

No source provides further detail on brushwork, palette, condition, or specific stylistic handling, so those aspects cannot be elaborated here.

History & Provenance

The portrait of Catharina Behaghel was painted by Jacob Jordaens in 1635, as indicated by the work’s inception date recorded in museum documentation. The painting entered the collection of the Rijksmuseum, where it remains held, and is recorded with dimensions of 152 cm in height and 118 cm in width. The sitter’s identity as Catharina Behaghel, wife of Rogier Le Witer, aligns the work with Jordaens’s portraiture of Antwerp’s merchant class during the 1630s.

The portrait is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum. The work, executed in oil on canvas in 1635, measures 152 cm in height and 118 cm in width. The available sources confirm its location within this institution but do not provide a specific inventory or accession number. Furthermore, no information regarding the exhibition history of the painting is present in the provided records.

Legacy

The portrait of Catharina Behaghel by Jacob Jordaens has been recognized as a significant example of 17th-century Flemish portraiture, contributing to the understanding of family representation among the Dutch elite. Its presence in the Rijksmuseum collection underscores its importance in Dutch cultural heritage and provides insight into the social dynamics of the period. The work continues to be studied for its technical mastery and historical context within the artist's oeuvre.

Overview

This oil portrait from 1635 by Jacob Jordaens represents Catharina Behaghel, wife of the Antwerp merchant Rogier Le Witer. The painting belongs to the Flemish Baroque tradition and is now preserved in the Rijksmuseum collection. Jordaens, who assumed the position of Antwerp's foremost painter after the deaths of Peter Paul Rubens and Anthony van Dyck, produced this work during his mature period when his reputation for portraiture was firmly established.

Subject & Meaning

Catharina Behaghel appears seated, her body turned slightly toward the viewer. She wears a dark gown with an elaborate white ruffled collar and matching cuffs, garments that signal her prosperous social standing. Her hair is drawn back severely, in keeping with fashionable convention.

In her right hand she holds a fan, an accessory that denotes refinement and leisure. The pose and costume together construct an image of dignified matronhood appropriate to the wife of a wealthy burgher.