Artwork
Woman from the Island of Mykonos
Woman from the Island of Mykonos is an oil painting by the Orientalist artist Jean Baptiste Vanmour. It dates from 1718 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum. Created in 1718, this oil on canvas portrait presents a woman dressed in the traditional costume of Mykonos, an island in the Aegean Sea.
About this work
Technique & Style
Jean Baptiste Vanmour's Woman from the Island of Mykonos, created in 1718, is an oil painting executed on a canvas support. The work measures 39 cm in height and 30.5 cm in width. Classified as a portrait, the piece depicts a woman and was produced in Istanbul.
As a portrait, the handling focuses on the individual subject, consistent with the artist's genre specialization during this period.
History & Provenance
The provided sources do not contain information regarding a specific inventory or accession number, nor do they list any exhibition history for the piece.
Woman from the Island of Mykonos was painted by Jean Baptiste Vanmour in 1718 in Istanbul, executed in oil paint on canvas as a portrait. The work was owned by Cornelis Calkoen and Nicolaas Calkoen before entering institutional custody. It subsequently passed through the collections of 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 being held by the Rijksmuseum, where it is currently located.
The painting Woman from the Island of Mykonos by Jean Baptiste Vanmour is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. It is part of the Directie van de Levantse handel en de Navigatie op de Middellandse Zee, which falls under the Koninklijk Kabinet van Zeldzaamheden and the Nederlandsch Museum voor Geschiedenis en Kunst. The work was previously owned by Cornelis Calkoen and Nicolaas Calkoen before entering the museum's holdings.
The provided sources do not contain information regarding a specific inventory or accession number, nor do they list any exhibition history for the piece.
Overview
Created in 1718, this oil on canvas portrait presents a woman dressed in the traditional costume of Mykonos, an island in the Aegean Sea. She stands on a patch of grass before a plain stone wall, her right hand holding a single rose. The composition is modest in scale yet detailed, reflecting the artist’s interest in documenting diverse peoples.
Subject & Meaning
The sitter is shown in a dark, full-length dress with a vivid red bodice, complemented by a white headscarf that frames her face. The rose she grasps may allude to notions of femininity or local customs, while her poised stance conveys a quiet dignity. The attire and accessories identify her regional origin without resorting to exotic exaggeration.
Context
Vanmour’s career was marked by a series of commissions that recorded the multicultural environment of the Ottoman Empire, especially during the so‑called Tulip Era (1718‑1730). This painting fits within that larger body of work, illustrating the exchange of visual culture between the Ottoman world and Western Europe and contributing to the early formation of Orientalist visual narratives.
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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.
