Artwork
Portrait of Wolfert van Brederode
Portrait of Wolfert van Brederode is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Johannes Mytens. It dates from 1663 and is held in the collection of the Mauritshuis.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The painting shows Wolfert van Brederode as a young boy standing in a rural landscape, holding a sword in one hand and a hammer in the other.
The painting shows Wolfert van Brederode as a young boy standing in a rural landscape, holding a sword in one hand and a hammer in the other. His brown hair falls to his waist, and he wears a cuirass and an overcoat, features highlighted by a subtle smile and a noticeable dimple. These details, recorded in the work’s description, convey a blend of aristocratic poise and youthful vigor, symbolising the idealised virtues of the Dutch Golden Age’s emerging elite.
Technique & Style
The Portrait of Wolfert van Brederode is executed in oil paint on panel, a support typical of mid-seventeenth-century Dutch portraiture. The composition is a waist-length portrait of the young sitter, framed against a rural landscape that includes a tree, cliff, sky and clouds, providing a naturalistic backdrop to the figure.
Stylistically, the work emphasizes careful attention to costume and personal detail: the boy is shown with brown, waist-length hair, a dimple, and a slight smile, wearing a cuirass, overcoat and sword, with a hammer included among the attributes. The handling focuses on precise rendering of facial features such as the eyebrows and hair, set against the looser, atmospheric treatment of the outdoor setting. The panel measures 106.5 cm in height by 85.5 cm in width.
No condition information is recorded in the available sources.
History & Provenance
The Portrait of Wolfert van Brederode is an oil-on-panel painting by Johannes Mytens dated 1663. The work was created that year as a portrait of the young Wolfert van Brederode, depicting him as a child with characteristic features including brown hair, a cuirass, and a sword, set against a rural landscape with cliffs, trees, and sky. The painting entered the collection of the Mauritshuis, where it remains held today.
No further details about the original commission, intermediate owners, or acquisition history are documented in the available sources.
Context
The 1663 portrait by Johannes Mytens, housed in the Mauritshuis, was created during the Dutch Golden Age's peak portraiture period emphasizing status and identity. It depicts Wolfert van Brederode, a young nobleman, in a manner reflecting contemporary ideals of aristocratic virtue through his attire and composed expression. The work's significance lies in its technical mastery of oil paint on panel and its representation of 17th-century Dutch portrait conventions, positioning it within the broader context of Dutch Republic art history where family lineage and social standing were frequently commemorated visually.
Overview
Johannes Mytens, a portrait specialist working in The Hague during the Dutch Golden Age, completed this oil painting in 1663. It portrays a youthful male figure, rendered with careful attention to clothing and accessories, and is presently displayed in the Mauritshuis collection.
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Artist & collection
Artist
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…
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