Artwork
Portret van een man
Portret van een man is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Ludolf Bakhuizen. It dates from 1692 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
As a genre portrait executed on copper, the piece prioritizes the realistic representation of the sitter's features over symbolic storytelling.
The work depicts a single male figure, serving as a straightforward portrait of a man. Created in 1684 by Ludolf Bakhuizen, the painting focuses entirely on the likeness of this individual without incorporating additional narrative elements or complex allegorical figures. As a genre portrait executed on copper, the piece prioritizes the realistic representation of the sitter's features over symbolic storytelling.
The subject remains unidentified in available records, presenting the man as the sole visual and thematic focus of the composition.
Technique & Style
The work is executed in oil paint on a copper support, a combination that allowed Ludolf Bakhuizen to achieve a smooth, enamel-like surface with fine detail characteristic of late seventeenth-century Dutch cabinet pictures. The copper panel measures 7.9 cm in height by 6.5 cm in width, making it an intimate, small-scale portrait. The painting is classified as a portrait genre work and forms part of the Rijksmuseum collection.
The use of copper as a support, rather than canvas or panel, is consistent with the meticulous finish and luminous quality typical of Bakhuizen's smaller portrait studies from this period.
No specific condition reports are documented in the available sources.
History & Provenance
Painted in 1684 by Ludolf Bakhuizen, this portrait was executed in oil on copper. The work is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum, though the sources do not detail how it entered the museum's holdings. No information about the original commission or early ownership is provided.
Overview
Portret van een man is a 1692 painting on copper by Ludolf Bakhuizen, a Dutch artist of German origin.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
Ludolf Bakhuizen (28 December 1630 or 1632 – 7 November 1708) was a German-born Dutch painter, draughtsman, calligrapher and printmaker.
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