Artwork
Portrait of Isaac Jan Alexander Gogel
Portrait of Isaac Jan Alexander Gogel is an oil painting by the Biedermeier artist Mattheus Ignatius van Bree. It dates from 1812 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The subject is presented as the main focus of the composition, capturing his appearance during the early nineteenth century.
The painting depicts Isaac Jan Alexander Gogel, a figure also identified in records as Alexander Gogel. Executed in 1812 by Mattheus Ignatius van Bree, the work is classified strictly as a portrait. As a genre piece, its primary function is to represent the likeness of this specific individual rather than to convey complex allegorical narratives or symbolic layers.
The subject is presented as the main focus of the composition, capturing his appearance during the early nineteenth century.
Technique & Style
The portrait is executed in oil paint on canvas, a conventional support choice for early nineteenth-century European portraiture. The canvas measures 95 cm in height by 75 cm in width, giving the composition a vertical orientation suited to a half- or three-quarter-length seated figure. The work is classified as a painting within the portrait genre and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
Stylistically, the piece reflects the Neoclassical portrait conventions practiced by Mattheus Ignatius van Bree in 1812, with the oil medium allowing for the smooth modeling and controlled handling typical of the period. Beyond these catalogued attributes, the available records do not document specific handling techniques, surface condition, or stylistic analysis.
History & Provenance
The work is an oil paint portrait created in 1812 by Mattheus Ignatius van Bree, depicting Alexander Gogel. It was commissioned as a painting and classified as a portrait. The artwork is part of the Rijksmuseum's collection and is currently housed at the Rijksmuseum.
The piece measures 95 cm in height and 75 cm in width, and it was produced using oil paint on canvas.
The Portrait of Isaac Jan Alexander Gogel is part of the Rijksmuseum's collection and is cataloged under the inventory number SK-A-1664. It was created in 1812 by Mattheus Ignatius van Bree as an oil painting on canvas measuring 95 by 75 centimeters. The work has been exhibited at the Rijksmuseum, where it is part of the permanent display of Dutch and Flemish paintings.
Context
The portrait depicts Alexander Gogel, a prominent Amsterdam merchant and civic figure, reflecting the city's elite patronage networks in the early nineteenth century. Executed in oil on canvas in 1812 by Mattheus Ignatius van Bree, the work exemplifies the Dutch academic tradition's emphasis on formal portraiture within the broader context of post-Napoleonic artistic production. Its presence in the Rijksmuseum collection underscores its recognized significance within Dutch national heritage and scholarly discourse on this period.
Overview
Created in 1812 by the Belgian painter Mattheus Ignatius van Bree, this oil on canvas depicts Isaac Jan Alexander Gogel. Executed during the Biedermeier era, the work is a formal portrait now part of the Rijksmuseum’s collection.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Mattheus Ignatius van Bree (Antwerp, 1773 – Antwerp, 1839) was a Belgian painter.
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