Artwork

Portrait of Adriaan du Bois, Director of the Rotterdam Chamber of the Dutch East India Company, elected 1742

Portrait of Adriaan du Bois, Director of the Rotterdam Chamber of the Dutch East India Company, elected 1742 is an oil painting by the Rococo painting artist Jean Humbert. It dates from 1760 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.

About this work

Subject & Meaning

The painting depicts Adriaan du Bois, who served as a Director of the Rotterdam Chamber of the Dutch East India Company following his election in 1742.

The painting depicts Adriaan du Bois, who served as a Director of the Rotterdam Chamber of the Dutch East India Company following his election in 1742. As a formal portrait, the work functions primarily as a record of du Bois's status and leadership role within this major commercial enterprise. The image represents the individual's authority and connection to the powerful trading organization that defined Rotterdam's economic landscape during the mid-18th century.

No specific allegorical symbols or additional iconographic elements beyond the identification of the sitter and his office are detailed in the available records.

Technique & Style

The portrait is executed in oil paint on canvas, with the paint applied in smooth, blended layers typical of eighteenth-century Dutch portraiture. Humbert rendered the sitter’s face with careful attention to subtle transitions in tone to model features and suggest volume, while the costume and accessories are handled with crisp, controlled strokes to define textures and details. The composition centers on the three-quarter-length figure, posed against a neutral background that directs focus to the subject’s face and the accoutrements of office.

Dimensions recorded for the work are approximately 82.8 cm in height by 68.0 cm in width (source variant: 81.0 × 69.0 cm).

History & Provenance

The portrait of Adriaan du Bois was commissioned to commemorate his election as Director of the Rotterdam Chamber of the Dutch East India Company in 1742. Painted by Jean Humbert in 1760, the work is an oil on canvas measuring approximately 82 by 68 centimeters.

By the time of its creation, Adriaan du Bois held a prominent position within the Dutch East India Company’s Rotterdam operations. The painting’s early provenance traces to the Rotterdam Chamber of the Dutch East India Company, where it likely served as a record of leadership. It later entered the collection of the Schielandshuis in Rotterdam before being transferred to Museum Rotterdam. The Rijksmuseum subsequently acquired the portrait, where it resides today.

The portrait is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam and the Museum Rotterdam. According to available records, the work is associated with the East India Company's Rotterdam Chamber and the Schielandshuis, reflecting its historical context as a depiction of a company director. The painting is executed in oil on canvas and measures approximately 82 cm in height and 68 cm in width. No specific inventory numbers or exhibition history details are provided in the available sources.

Overview

Created in 1760 by the Amsterdam‑born painter Jean Humbert, this oil portrait presents Adriaan du Bois, who served as director of the Rotterdam chamber of the Dutch East India Company after his election in 1742. The work exemplifies the Rococo period’s refined approach to portraiture, concentrating on the sitter’s dignified presence against a subdued backdrop.

Context

The work reflects the broader Dutch tradition of commemorating commercial leaders through formal portraiture, a practice that reinforced the social standing of the Dutch East India Company’s administrators. Humbert’s training in Paris under Jean Fournier and possibly Jos equipped him with the stylistic tools to meet the expectations of such patrons.