Artwork
Hendrik Waller (1887-1951) op driejarige leeftijd

Hendrik Waller (1887-1951) op driejarige leeftijd is an oil painting by the Impressionist artist Pieter Oyens. It is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
About this work
Technique & Style
The canvas measures 55 cm in height by 47 cm in width, giving it a modest, upright format suited to an intimate bust-length portrayal.
The work is executed in oil paint on canvas, a standard combination for late nineteenth-century Dutch portraiture. Classified as a painting and identified by genre as a portrait, it depicts a young child and was produced in the Netherlands in 1890. The canvas measures 55 cm in height by 47 cm in width, giving it a modest, upright format suited to an intimate bust-length portrayal.
Stylistically, the medium and support are consistent with the academic oil technique typical of Pieter Oyens's portrait practice of the period, allowing for the layered modeling and finished surface associated with formal commissioned likenesses of children.
History & Provenance
Pieter Oyens created the oil painting Hendrik Waller (1887-1951) op driejarige leeftijd in 1890. Executed on canvas, the portrait depicts the subject at the age of three and was produced in the Netherlands. The work currently belongs to the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
The portrait Hendrik Waller (1887-1951) op driejarige leeftijd is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum in the Netherlands. The work, created by Pieter Oyens in 1890, is cataloged as a painting on canvas. While the source identifies the institution and the specific artwork, it does not provide a specific inventory or accession number for this piece. Additionally, the available documentation does not record any specific exhibition history for this portrait.
Overview
Pieter Oyens painted this oil portrait in 1896, depicting Hendrik Waller at the age of three. The work is part of the Rijksmuseum’s collection and presents a youthful figure in a domestic interior, rendered with the careful observation typical of late‑19th‑century portraiture.
Subject & Meaning
The sitter, a small boy in a white shirt with ruffled sleeves and a pink garment, sits upright on a dark‑brown chair. He clutches a toy horse tied with a red ribbon, a detail that underscores the innocence and playfulness of early childhood.
Context
The painting reflects the Dutch tradition of intimate family portraiture in the late 1800s, a period when middle‑class families often commissioned works to document their children’s early years. Oyens’ approach aligns with contemporaneous artists who emphasized domestic settings and personal sentiment.
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