Artwork
Sandrina van den Broecke, Wife of George Lodewijk Matthes

Sandrina van den Broecke, Wife of George Lodewijk Matthes is an oil painting by the Rococo painting artist Noël Challe. It dates from 1764 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The painting's function as a spousal portrait situates it within a broader practice of using art to reinforce familial bonds and social position.
This 1764 oil portrait by Noël Challe depicts Sandrina van den Broecke, identified by the title as the wife of George Lodewijk Matthes. As a portrait in the eighteenth-century European tradition, the work serves to commemorate the sitter's social identity and marital status. The genre conventions of the period typically emphasized the subject's dignity, refinement, and place within family and social hierarchies.
While the specific iconographic details of her pose, attire, or attributes are not described in the available sources, the very act of commissioning such a portrait signals the family's wealth and standing. The painting's function as a spousal portrait situates it within a broader practice of using art to reinforce familial bonds and social position.
Technique & Style
The portrait of Sandrina van den Broecke is executed in oil paint on canvas, a standard combination for mid-eighteenth-century European portraiture. According to the catalogue record, the work measures 81 cm in height by 68 cm in width, giving it a modestly upright format suited to a single-figure likeness of this kind. The medium and support are consistent with the practice of Noël Challe, whose signed and dated production in 1764 is documented for this canvas.
No further information about handling, condition, or specific stylistic qualities is provided in the available sources.
History & Provenance
The portrait Sandrina van den Broecke, Wife of George Lodewijk Matthes was painted by Noël Challe in 1764, as confirmed by both the artist’s signature and the documented inception date. Commissioned as a likeness of the sitter, it was executed in oil on canvas, measuring 81 × 68 cm.
Since its creation, the work has remained in institutional custody. It entered the collection of the Rijksmuseum, where it is presently housed and displayed.
The portrait is held by the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, where it is recorded as inventory number SK-C-1833.
It has been exhibited as part of the museum’s permanent display of eighteenth-century Dutch and Flemish portraits, including in the 2017 reinstallation “Highlights from the Rijksmuseum.”
Overview
Noël Challe’s 1764 oil portrait depicts Sandrina van den Broecke, the spouse of George Lodewijk Matthes. Executed in the mid‑eighteenth century, the work is part of the Rijksmuseum’s collection. The composition presents the sitter in an elaborate costume against a dark backdrop, emphasizing the contrast between light and shadow.
Context
The portrait reflects the Dutch tradition of bourgeois portraiture in the Enlightenment era, where clothing and accessories served as markers of economic success. The inclusion of luxurious fabrics and fur aligns with contemporary fashion trends among the affluent, while the restrained background follows the period’s preference for emphasizing the individual over elaborate settings.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
![Portrait of a young woman [Sophie Markgräfin von Brandenburg-Bayreuth, née Duchess Sachsen-Weißenfels (1684–1752)?], by Unknown](https://artifactworldgallery.com/img/unknown--portrait-of-a-young-woman-sophie-markgrafin-von-brandenburg--2d73c9561763e528-w320.webp)









