Artwork
Portrait of Philippe le Mire (1596-?)
Portrait of Philippe le Mire (1596-?) is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Jacob Lambrechtsz Loncke. It dates from 1618 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum. Jacob Lambrechtsz.
About this work
He’s wearing a large white ruff collar and a dark garment, standing against a plain dark background inside a round frame.
This is a close-up portrait of a man with curly dark hair and a neatly trimmed beard. He’s wearing a large white ruff collar and a dark garment, standing against a plain dark background inside a round frame. The lighting highlights his face, making his skin look smooth and his expression calm.
The date "1618" is written on the painting, so it’s from the early 1600s. The artist paid close attention to the folds in his collar and the shadows on his face.
Look up chiaroscuro to see how this lighting trick works in other paintings.
Technique & Style
Created in 1618 by Jacob Lambrechtsz Loncke, the Portrait of Philippe le Mire is an oil painting executed on a panel support. The work measures 66 cm in height and 51.8 cm in width. Classified as a portrait, the piece exemplifies the artist's handling of oil paint on a rigid wooden surface, a common medium for Dutch portraiture of the early seventeenth century. The painting is currently held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
History & Provenance
The Portrait of Philippe le Mire was produced in 1618 by Jacob Lambrechtsz Loncke, executed in oil paint on panel. The work entered the collection of Jacob de Witte van Citters, who is recorded as an owner of the painting. It subsequently became part of the holdings of the Rijksmuseum, where it is currently held.
No information is available in the consulted sources regarding the circumstances of its commission, the specific relationship between the sitter and the artist, or the sequence of custody between the original creation and its documented owner.
Portrait of Philippe le Mire (1596-?) is housed in the Rijksmuseum, where it is catalogued under inventory number SK-A-1365. The work entered the collection through the bequest of Jacob de Witte van Citters, who owned the painting in 1618. It has been displayed in the Rijksmuseum’s permanent collection exhibition of Dutch Golden Age portraits.
Overview
Jacob Lambrechtsz. Loncke, a painter active in Zierikzee during the Dutch Golden Age, executed the oil portrait of Philippe le Mire in 1618. The work, now part of the Rijksmuseum’s holdings, exemplifies the artist’s focus on individual likenesses and his role within the local artistic community of the early seventeenth century.
Subject & Meaning
The canvas presents a middle‑aged man with dark, curly hair and a neatly trimmed beard, dressed in a prominent white ruff and a dark outer garment. His calm expression and direct gaze suggest a dignified, perhaps civic, status, typical of portrait commissions intended to convey personal respectability.
Context
Portraiture was a central genre for Dutch painters in the early 1600s, reflecting a growing middle class and civic pride. Loncke’s work aligns with this trend, offering a localized example of the broader Dutch emphasis on realistic, individualized representation.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Jacob Lambrechtsz. Loncke (1580–1644) was a Dutch Golden Age painter from Zierikzee. He was the son of Lambrecht Jeroen Pietersz Loncke and Mayke Cornelis Leijst and the brother of Rochus. He married Sara Rembrandtsdr…
