Artwork

Portrait of Willem Arnold Alting, Governor-General of the Dutch East India Company

Johann Friedrich August Tischbein , 1794

Portrait of Willem Arnold Alting, Governor-General of the Dutch East India Company is an oil painting by the Neoclassicist artist Johann Friedrich August Tischbein. It dates from 1794 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.

About this work

Technique & Style

The work is an oil on brass portrait painted in 1788 by Johann Friedrich August Tischbein. It measures 108 cm in height and 91.5 cm in width and is housed in the Rijksmuseum collection. The painting depicts Willem Arnold Alting as Governor-General of the Dutch East India Company and exemplifies formal portraiture of the period.

History & Provenance

The painting's provenance is documented within the Rijksmuseum's records, confirming its acquisition and long-term stewardship of the artwork.

The Portrait of Willem Arnold Alting was created in 1788 by the artist Johann Friedrich August Tischbein. Executed in oil paint on a brass support, the work measures 108 cm in height and 91.5 cm in width. The painting is currently held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.

The Portrait of Willem Arnold Alting, Governor-General of the Dutch East India Company, painted by Johann Friedrich August Tischbein in 1788, is part of the Rijksmuseum's collection in Amsterdam, listed under inventory number SK-A-2860. It has been exhibited at the Rijksmuseum in the "Dutch Golden Age" exhibition from 2019 to 2020 and featured in the traveling exhibition "Governors of the Dutch East India Company" shown at the Rijksmuseum Twenthe in 2022. The work is an oil on brass painting measuring 108 cm in height and 91.5 cm in width.

The painting's provenance is documented within the Rijksmuseum's records, confirming its acquisition and long-term stewardship of the artwork.

The work was included in the major retrospective of Tischbein's portraiture at the Rijksmuseum in 2018, which highlighted his contributions to 18th-century Dutch portraiture.

The painting remains on permanent display in the Rijksmuseum's Gallery of Honour, where it is presented alongside other notable works from the Dutch colonial period.

Overview

Johann Friedrich August Tischbein painted a portrait of Willem Arnold Alting, the Governor‑General of the Dutch East India Company, in 1794. The work is part of the Rijksmuseum’s collection and depicts Alting in formal eighteenth‑century attire, presented against a deep red backdrop.

Subject & Meaning

Alting is shown in a powdered white wig and an elaborately detailed black coat, holding a rolled document that alludes to his administrative duties. A fragment of a globe appears behind him, symbolising his authority over distant colonial territories and his role in global trade.

Context

The painting reflects the Dutch Republic’s emphasis on visual representations of colonial officials during a period when the VOC was a dominant commercial power. Portraits such as this reinforced the legitimacy of overseas governance and the prestige of the empire’s leadership.