Who painted Portrait of a Man?

Portrait of a Man was painted by Jan van Assen in 1666.

Where can I see Portrait of a Man?

Portrait of a Man is held by Rijksmuseum.

Can I buy a print of Portrait of a Man?

Museum-quality prints of Portrait of a Man are available made-to-order from Artifact World Gallery.

Portrait of a Man by Jan van Assen (1666)

About this work

Subject & Meaning

According to the catalogue record, the subject is identified generically as "man," with no further specification of name, profession, or social rank.

The painting depicts a man, the sole figure represented in the work. According to the catalogue record, the subject is identified generically as "man," with no further specification of name, profession, or social rank. The portrait is executed in oil on copper, a small-scale support that was favored in the seventeenth century for its smooth surface and capacity for finely detailed likenesses, lending the sitter a precise, jewel-like presence.

Because the sitter is unnamed and no attributes, inscriptions, or symbolic objects are recorded in the sources, the iconography is restricted to the figure itself. The work's meaning therefore resides in its function as a personal likeness rather than in any allegorical or emblematic program. It was once owned by the collector Abraham Bredius before entering the Rijksmuseum collection.

Technique & Style

Jan van Assen's Portrait of a Man, created in 1666, is executed in oil paint on a copper support. The work measures 12.5 cm in height and 10.5 cm in width, reflecting the small scale typical of copper paintings from this period. As a portrait genre piece, the formal qualities focus on the depiction of a male subject, utilizing the smooth, reflective surface of the metal to achieve fine detail in the rendering of the face and attire.

History & Provenance

Portrait of a Man was created by Jan van Assen in 1666, executed in oil paint on a copper support measuring 12.5 by 10.5 centimeters. The work subsequently entered the collection of the Dutch art historian and collector Abraham Bredius, a noted connoisseur of seventeenth-century Dutch painting. It is now held in the Rijksmuseum, where it is catalogued as part of the museum's holdings of portraits by van Assen.

No information about a specific commission, the original patron, or intermediate owners between the artist and Bredius is documented in the available sources.

The painting is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam.

It is inventoried there as SK-C-1835, where it has been accessioned since the museum’s holdings were established. The work was previously owned by Abraham Bredius before entering the Rijksmuseum’s collection.

Context

The 1666 portrait attributed to Jan van Assen presents a man in a style characteristic of Dutch Golden Age portraiture, reflecting the artist's focus on intimate character studies within the broader context of 17th-century Dutch painting. Its attribution and scholarly discussion are anchored in its presence in the Rijksmuseum collection and provenance linked to Abraham Bredius, a noted collector and scholar who significantly influenced the understanding of Dutch portraiture. The work's classification as a portrait and its material execution on copper further situate it within the technical and thematic developments of the period, contributing to ongoing academic discourse about Assen's role in the evolution of Dutch portrait painting beyond the more widely recognized masters.

Legacy

Portrait of a Man by Jan van Assen, painted in 1666 on copper, entered the collection of Abraham Bredius before being acquired by the Rijksmuseum, where it remains on display. The work has been cited in scholarly studies of Dutch Golden Age portraiture as a representative example of 17th-century oil painting techniques on metal support, influencing later assessments of Assen's contribution to the genre. Its attribution and dating have informed catalogues of the Rijksmuseum's Dutch paintings collection, reinforcing the artist's reputation as a minor master of portraiture.

Overview

Portrait of a Man, painted in 1666 by Jan van Assen on copper, is a portrait depicting a serious-looking man with short, curly hair, set against a dark background within an oval frame. The artwork is characterized by muted colors, warm tones on the subject's face, and cooler tones in the surrounding areas, with a subtle texture imparted by the copper medium.

Artist & collection

Artist

Jan van Assen

Jan van Assen, who was born at Amsterdam in 1635, was a painter of history, portraits, and landscape, in the Italian manner; he studied particularly the works of Tempesta. He died at his birthplace in 1695.