Artwork
Portrait of Johan Wolphert van Brederode (1599-1655)
Portrait of Johan Wolphert van Brederode (1599-1655) is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Jan van Rossum. It dates from 1647 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
By portraying van Brederode on horseback rather than in a standard bust or half-length format, the painting emphasizes his status within the Dutch aristocracy.
The work depicts Johan Wolphert van Brederode (1599–1655) in an equestrian setting, presenting the sitter mounted on a horse. This format utilizes the iconography of equestrianism, a genre traditionally reserved for nobility and military leaders to signify authority, command, and high social standing. By portraying van Brederode on horseback rather than in a standard bust or half-length format, the painting emphasizes his status within the Dutch aristocracy.
The composition serves as a representation of power and prestige, aligning the subject with the chivalric ideals associated with mounted portraiture in the seventeenth century.
Technique & Style
The work is an oil painting executed on canvas, measuring 104.5 cm in height and 90 cm in width. It depicts Johan Wolfert van Brederode in an equestrian pose, rendered in the Dutch Baroque style with naturalistic modeling and restrained chiaroscuro. The brushwork shows fine detail in the sitter’s attire and the horse’s anatomy, reflecting the conventions of 17th-century portraiture.
The surface exhibits a smooth finish typical of van Rossum’s technique, with no visible signs of restoration or damage.
History & Provenance
Jan van Rossum painted the Portrait of Johan Wolphert van Brederode in 1647, an oil on canvas work created in Amerongen. The painting entered the collection of the Rijksmuseum through the Stichting Nederlands Kunstbezit and was later documented in the Hermann Göring Collection before being held at the Munich Central Collecting Point. It remains part of the Rijksmuseum's holdings.
The painting is held in the Rijksmuseum collection and is listed in the Hermann Göring Collection and Munich Central Collecting Point inventories. It has been exhibited at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam and in Munich at the Central Collecting Point, locations documented in its provenance records.
Overview
Jan van Rossum’s 1647 oil portrait presents Johan Wolfert van Brederode, a Dutch nobleman, astride a white horse within an open landscape. The composition balances the rider’s dignified presence against a muted sky and distant architectural forms, emphasizing both his status and his affinity for equestrian pursuits.
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Artist & collection
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