Artwork
Portrait of August Allebé
Portrait of August Allebé is an oil painting by the Impressionist artist Princess Marie Alexandrine of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach. It dates from 1894 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The work was created by Princess Marie Alexandrine of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach in 1886 using oil on canvas.
The painting shows August Allebé, a Dutch art critic and writer, in a conventional portrait format. The work was created by Princess Marie Alexandrine of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach in 1886 using oil on canvas. Its composition and presentation reflect the formal conventions of late‑19th‑century portraiture, emphasizing the sitter’s status and the artist’s technical skill. The portrait is part of the Rijksmuseum collection in Amsterdam.
Technique & Style
The Portrait of August Allebé is executed in oil paint on canvas, a traditional combination suited to the work's portrait genre. Classified as a painting, the canvas support measures 60.5 cm in height by 50.5 cm in width, yielding a modest upright format appropriate for an intimate likeness. The medium and dimensions are consistent with the production practices of Princess Marie Alexandrine of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, who completed the work in 1886. The painting is held in the Rijksmuseum collection.
No further details regarding specific handling, brushwork, condition, or stylistic characterization are documented in the available sources.
History & Provenance
The Portrait of August Allebé was painted in 1886 by Princess Marie Alexandrine of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, who depicted the Dutch painter and teacher August Allebé in oil on canvas.
The work is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum, where it remains located. No information is available regarding the circumstances of its commissioning, the chain of ownership prior to its museum acquisition, or its exhibition history.
The canvas measures 60.5 cm in height by 50.5 cm in width.
The painting is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum, as recorded in the work's Wikidata entry. It is catalogued there as a portrait executed in oil on canvas, depicting the Dutch painter and educator August Allebé.
No specific inventory or accession number is provided in the available sources, and no exhibition history is documented.
Overview
Created in 1894, this oil portrait presents August Allebé, a noted figure in Dutch art, rendered by Princess Marie Alexandrine of Saxe‑Weimar‑Eisenach. The work is part of the Rijksmuseum’s collection, where it remains on display as an example of late‑19th‑century portraiture executed by a member of European royalty.
Context
At the turn of the century, portraiture served both as a record of cultural figures and as a means of reinforcing social hierarchies. This piece aligns with that tradition, depicting a leading art educator in a formal pose that underscores his professional authority while also reflecting the patronage of aristocratic artists like the princess.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Princess Marie Alexandrine of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
She preferred paint to palace balls and kept a messy studio in The Hague, where she painted well into her seventies.
