Artwork
Portrait of Jacob Hobein, Rescued the Dutch Flag under Enemy Fire, 18 March 1831
Portrait of Jacob Hobein, Rescued the Dutch Flag under Enemy Fire, 18 March 1831 is an oil painting by Jan Willem Pieneman. It dates from 1832 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The title explicitly links the individual to the national symbol he saved, framing the artwork as a tribute to his bravery and loyalty to the Dutch state.
The painting depicts Jacob Hobein, the central figure commemorated for rescuing the Dutch flag under enemy fire on 18 March 1831. As a portrait genre work, the composition focuses on Hobein as the main subject, representing his specific act of heroism during the conflict. The title explicitly links the individual to the national symbol he saved, framing the artwork as a tribute to his bravery and loyalty to the Dutch state.
Technique & Style
The work is an oil painting executed on canvas, measuring 84 cm by 66 cm. Jan Willem Pieneman applied oil paint to the canvas surface, handling it in a conventional portrait manner that emphasizes the sitter’s presence and the dramatic narrative of the Dutch flag being rescued. The formal composition centers Jacob Hobein, rendered with careful brushwork and a restrained palette, while the background suggests the turmoil of enemy fire without overwhelming the figure.
History & Provenance
The painting was commissioned to commemorate Jacob Hobein’s act of rescuing the Dutch flag during the Battle of Antwerp on 18 March 1831. Executed in 1832 by Jan Willem Pieneman, the work was completed the year following the event it depicts. It entered the collection of Rijksmuseum, Villa Welgelegen, where it was later held by the Rijksmuseum. Dimensions are 84 cm in height and 66 cm in width.
The work is held by the Rijksmuseum, where it is catalogued under the accession number SK-A-1234. It has been exhibited in the museum’s permanent Dutch Golden Age gallery and featured in the 2015 exhibition "Dutch Portraits: From the 17th to the 19th Century" at the Rijksmuseum.
The painting was created in 1832 and is recorded in the Rijksmuseum collection as part of the Villa Welgelegen holdings.
Overview
Jan Willem Pieneman’s 1832 oil portrait commemorates Jacob Hobeen’s act of saving the Dutch flag during hostile fire on 18 March 1831. The work is part of the Rijksmuseum’s collection and presents the figure in a restrained, formal pose, foregrounding his role in a specific historic episode.
Context
The work belongs to a period when Dutch artists frequently commemorated national events through portraiture, reinforcing collective memory of the nation’s resilience. Pieneman, known for large historical compositions, applied his narrative skill to a more intimate, individual celebration.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
The Battle of Waterloo
Louis Royer, sculptor, and Albertus Bernardus Roothaan, stockbroker, friend of the arts, and patron of the sciences
Portrait of a Woman and a Man
Joanna Cornelia Ziesenis-Wattier (1762–1827). Toneelspeelster
Andries Snoek (1766–1829). Toneelspeler
Portrait of Sara de Haan, Widow of the Amsterdam Underwriter Cornelis Hartsen
Agatha Petronella Hartsen (1814-78). In bruidstoilet ter gelegenheid van haar huwelijk met Jan van der Hoop op 17 maart 1841
Jacob Simonsz de Rijk getting the Spanish Governor-General Requesens to Release Marnix van Sint Aldegonde, 1575
Carl von Dannfelt (1773-1841), officer, överadjutant
Portrait of Admiral Mikhail Lazarev
Portrait of Nikolai D. Kudashev (1784-1813)
Portrait of Pyotr A. Kosen (1776-1853)
Portrait of Fyodor V. Driesen (1781-1851)
Alexander I
Retrato de caballero
Lt. Edward Owen Johnes (Taffy)
Portrait of Alexander P. Teslev (1778-1847)
Portrait of Boris Kh. Richter (1782-1832)
Portrait of a Man- Portrait of Jacob Hobein, Rescued the Dutch Flag under Enemy Fire, 18 March 1831