Artwork

Portrait of Margaretha van Raephorst (d 1690). Wife of Cornelis Tromp

Portrait of Margaretha van Raephorst (d 1690). Wife of Cornelis Tromp is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Johannes Mytens. It dates from 1668 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.

About this work

Subject & Meaning

Painted in 1668 by Johannes Mytens, this oil on canvas work depicts Margaretha van Raephorst, who was the wife of Cornelis Tromp.

Painted in 1668 by Johannes Mytens, this oil on canvas work depicts Margaretha van Raephorst, who was the wife of Cornelis Tromp. As a formal portrait, the composition centers on the sitter as its primary subject. The iconography is notable for the inclusion of both a white woman and a black figure within the frame, a visual pairing that defines the work's representational scope.

This specific juxtaposition of figures later led to the painting's inclusion in the exhibition "Black is beautiful: Rubens to Dumas," highlighting its significance in discussions regarding the depiction of race in Dutch Golden Age portraiture.

Technique & Style

The portrait is executed in oil paint on canvas, a standard support for mid-seventeenth-century Dutch portraiture. According to the catalogue record, the work measures 135 cm in height by 105 cm in width, a large, full-length format appropriate to a sitter of social standing. The painting is classified as a portrait and is attributed to Johannes Mytens, whose handling in this period typically combined smooth, polished brushwork with carefully modeled flesh tones and richly detailed textile rendering.

The composition is a formal, commissioned likeness of Margaretha van Raephorst, wife of the naval officer Cornelis Tromp, and the inclusion of a Black attendant alongside the principal sitter is consistent with conventions of status display in elite Dutch portraiture of the 1660s. The work is held jointly by the Rijksmuseum and the Amsterdam Museum, institutions whose holdings are generally maintained in stable, exhibition-ready condition, though no specific conservation report is cited.

The painting has been exhibited in "Black is Beautiful: Rubens to Dumas," a presentation that foregrounded the depiction of Black figures within European art, suggesting that the handling of the attendant figure is treated as an integral element of the composition rather than a peripheral detail.

History & Provenance

The work was painted in 1668 by Johannes Mytens as a pendant to his portrait of Cornelis Tromp, husband of Margaretha van Raephorst.

It descended within the Tromp family and later entered the holdings of the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, where it remains today.

The portrait is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, also referred to as the National Art Gallery of the Netherlands. The work was created in 1668 on canvas using oil paint and measures 135 cm in height by 105 cm in width.

Its exhibition history includes a showing in the display titled "Black is beautiful: Rubens to Dumas."

Overview

This oil painting, created in 1668 by Johannes Mytens, depicts Margaretha van Raephorst, the wife of Cornelis Tromp. Mytens was a prominent portraitist during the Dutch Golden Age, a period characterized by significant artistic and commercial prosperity in the Netherlands. The work captures a specific moment in 17th-century Dutch society, showcasing both a notable figure and broader social dynamics. It is currently part of the Rijksmuseum's collection.

Context

Painted during the Dutch Golden Age, this artwork reflects a period when the Netherlands experienced a flourishing of both art and trade. Mytens, active in The Hague, contributed to the era's demand for portraiture among the affluent. The inclusion of an unidentified Black individual provides insight into the diverse social fabric of 17th-century Dutch cities, where people of African descent were part of the population, often in domestic roles.

Portrait of a woman, possibly a member of the van Citters family, Caspar Netscher

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Artist & collection

Artist

Johannes Mytens

Johannes Mytens or Jan Mijtens, or "Mytens" to the English (c. 1614 – 24 December 1670) was a Dutch Golden Age painter, almost entirely as a portraitist. Mytens was born in The Hague. According to Houbraken, Johannes…