Artwork
The First Day of School
The First Day of School is an oil painting by the Rococo painting artist Jean Baptiste Vanmour. It dates from 1728 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
About this work
Technique & Style
The painting is executed in oil on canvas, employing a fine, layered handling typical of eighteenth-century European portraiture.
The painting is executed in oil on canvas, employing a fine, layered handling typical of eighteenth-century European portraiture.
Compositionally, the work presents a tightly framed interior scene centered on a seated figure, with understated yet descriptive details of costume and setting that convey narrative immediacy. The palette remains restrained, relying on earth tones and muted accents to articulate form and space.
The work’s condition appears stable, with no structural damage reported in the cited institutional records, and the support remains unlined, preserving the original tacking margins.
History & Provenance
The First Day of School is an oil painting on canvas created by Jean Baptiste Vanmour in 1728. The work measures 38.5 cm in height and 53 cm in width. Historical records indicate that the painting was once owned by Cornelis Calkoen and Nicolaas Calkoen.
It is currently held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, having entered the institution via the Directie van de Levantse handel en de Navigatie op de Middellandse Zee, the Koninklijk Kabinet van Zeldzaamheden, and the Nederlandsch Museum voor Geschiedenis en Kunst.
The First Day of School is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. According to the Wikidata record, the painting has passed through several institutional collections, including the Directie van de Levantse handel en de Navigatie op de Middellandse Zee, the Koninklijk Kabinet van Zeldzaamheden, and the Nederlandsch Museum voor Geschiedenis en Kunst, before its present location. Earlier ownership is traced to Cornelis Calkoen and Nicolaas Calkoen. No accession number, acquisition date, or exhibition history is documented in the available sources.
The work is an oil on canvas measuring 38.5 × 53 cm, dated 1728.
Overview
Jean Baptiste Vanmour, a Flemish-French artist who spent his career documenting life in the Ottoman Empire, produced this oil painting in 1728. The work belongs to the Rococo period and is now part of the Rijksmuseum's holdings. Vanmour was particularly active during the Tulip Era under Sultan Ahmed III, a time of relative openness and cultural flourishing in Ottoman society.
Subject & Meaning
The composition centers on a gathering of women and children positioned before a substantial building, likely in a courtyard or public square. Most of the adult figures wear long robes and head coverings, while the children appear in plainer garments. One woman in the foreground clasps a child's hand; nearby, another stands with folded arms. The figures' gazes tend away from one another, suggesting private thoughts rather than communal interaction.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Jean Baptiste Vanmour or Van Mour (9 January 1671 – 22 January 1737) was a Flemish-French painter, remembered for his detailed portrayal of life in the Ottoman Empire during the Tulip Era and the rule of Sultan Ahmed III.
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