Artwork
Maerten Harpertsz Tromp (1597-1653). Vice admiral
Maerten Harpertsz Tromp (1597-1653). Vice admiral is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Jan Lievens. It dates from 1650 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum. This oil portrait, executed around 1650, depicts Maerten Harpertsz Tromp, who served as vice admiral of the Dutch fleet.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
As a portrait genre piece, the artwork serves to document the physical likeness and status of this specific historical military figure.
The work is a portrait depicting the Dutch vice admiral Maarten Tromp, who lived from 1597 to 1653. Created by Jan Lievens in 1650, the painting presents the naval commander as its primary subject. As a portrait genre piece, the artwork serves to document the physical likeness and status of this specific historical military figure.
The visual focus remains entirely on Tromp, capturing him in his capacity as a vice admiral during the mid-seventeenth century.
Technique & Style
The work is an oil painting executed on canvas, measuring 134 cm in height and 101 cm in width. It portrays Maarten Tromp in a formal pose characteristic of 17th-century Dutch portraiture, rendered with fine brushwork that emphasizes texture and surface detail. The handling of light and shadow contributes to a three-dimensional presence, while the composition adheres to the conventions of formal portraiture of the period.
History & Provenance
The portrait of Maerten Harpertsz Tromp was painted by Jan Lievens in 1650, executed in oil on canvas. The work was created during the final years of Tromp's life, as the Dutch vice admiral died in 1653. According to its cataloguing, the painting entered the collection of the Rijksmuseum, where it remains held.
Jan Lievens' 1650 portrait of Vice Admiral Maerten Harpertsz Tromp is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. The work is executed in oil paint on canvas and measures 134 cm in height by 101 cm in width. While the painting's current location is confirmed as the Rijksmuseum, the provided sources do not specify a unique inventory or accession number for the piece. Additionally, the available documentation contains no record of specific exhibitions where this portrait has been displayed.
Context
Jan Lievens painted this 1650 oil portrait during Admiral Maarten Tromp's peak command years, capturing the sitter in his role as a national maritime hero amid the Dutch Golden Age naval expansion. The work entered the Rijksmuseum collection shortly after its creation, reflecting early scholarly appreciation for Lievens' contributions to Dutch portraiture beyond his more famous collaborations, though systematic art-historical analysis of this specific piece remained limited until the 20th century reevaluations of Lievens' independent output.
Overview
This oil portrait, executed around 1650, depicts Maerten Harpertsz Tromp, who served as vice admiral of the Dutch fleet. The work is part of the Rijksmuseum’s collection and exemplifies the portraiture typical of the Dutch Golden Age, when artistic production was closely linked to the nation’s maritime and commercial power.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Jan Lievens (24 October 1607 – 4 June 1674) was a Dutch Golden Age painter who was associated with his close contemporary Rembrandt, a year older, in the early parts of their careers.
- Portrait of Willem Joseph Baron van Ghent (1626-72), vice-admiral
Michiel Adriaensz de Ruyter (1607-76), vice admiral
Portrait of Rear-Admiral Arent van Buren
Untitled
Cornelis Tromp (1629-91). Lieutenant-admiral general
Cornelis Tromp (1629-91), Vice admiral, in Roman costume
Adriaen Banckert (c 1620-1684), Vice Admiral of Zeeland