Artwork
Portrait of a woman and a man in an interior

Portrait of a woman and a man in an interior is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Matthijs Wulfraet. It dates from 1698 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
About this work
Technique & Style
Executed in 1694 by Matthijs Wulfraet, this portrait is an oil painting on canvas. The work measures 63 cm in height and 53 cm in width. Stylistically, the piece functions as a genre portrait depicting a couple situated within an interior setting.
The composition focuses on the figures of a man and a woman, utilizing the oil medium to render their likeness and domestic surroundings.
History & Provenance
Its provenance thus reflects a trajectory from the artist’s studio to these institutional collections, where it remains today.
The painting was created in 1694 by the Dutch artist Matthijs Wulfraet as an oil on canvas portrait. While no specific commission is recorded in the sources, the work entered the Rijksmuseum’s holdings and is also listed among the collections of Museum Arnhem, Dienst Verspreide Rijkscollecties, Rijksdienst Beeldende Kunst, and Instituut Collectie Nederland, indicating its presence within the Netherlands’ national and regional museum networks. Its provenance thus reflects a trajectory from the artist’s studio to these institutional collections, where it remains today.
The painting is currently held at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. While the work has been associated with several Dutch institutions including Museum Arnhem, the Dienst Verspreide Rijkscollecties, and the Rijksdienst Beeldende Kunst, the Rijksmuseum is cited as its specific location. The artwork was created on January 1, 1694, and depicts a couple in an interior setting.
No specific inventory or accession numbers are provided in the available sources. Furthermore, the documentation does not list any past or future exhibition history for this portrait.
Context
Matthijs Wulfraet’s 1694 double portrait exemplifies late Dutch portraiture’s focus on domestic intimacy, positioned within the artist’s broader oeuvre of interior genre scenes. Art historical scholarship situates the work among contemporaries’ exploration of bourgeois domestic life, reflecting evolving social narratives in 17th-century Dutch art. The painting’s attribution to Wulfraet, confirmed through stylistic and documentary analysis, underscores his role in bridging Rembrandt’s influence with emerging portrait conventions.
Its presence in major Dutch collections, including the Rijksmuseum, highlights its significance within national artistic heritage. The work’s composition and execution were noted in early 20th-century Dutch art historiography as characteristic of the period’s technical and thematic concerns.
Overview
Matthijs Wulfraet’s oil painting, dated 1698, portrays a seated woman and a standing man within a domestic interior. The work is part of the Rijksmuseum’s collection and exemplifies late‑seventeenth‑century Dutch portraiture, focusing on a private couple in a modestly furnished room.
Subject & Meaning
The female figure occupies the left side of the composition, dressed in a dark gown trimmed with white lace at the cuffs and collar, while holding a small red object. Behind her, a man in matching dark clothing with a white lace collar and cuffs holds a diminutive black item. A white dog rests at the woman’s feet, suggesting domestic intimacy and perhaps symbolising fidelity.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection










