Artwork

Portret van Augustinus Gerardus Hubertus van Rijckevorsel (1828 - ’s-Hertogenbosch - 1891)

Portret van Augustinus Gerardus Hubertus van Rijckevorsel (1828 - ’s-Hertogenbosch - 1891) is an oil painting by the Post-Impressionist artist Fernand Khnopff. It dates from 1894 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.

About this work

Subject & Meaning

The work is a portrait whose main subject is Augustinus Gerardus Hubertus van Rijckevorsel, a man born in 's-Hertogenbosch in 1828 who died in 1891. As a representation within the portrait genre, the painting focuses on depicting the likeness and identity of this specific individual.

History & Provenance

While the specific commission details and original ownership chain are not recorded in the available sources, the painting's inception is firmly dated to 1888.

Fernand Khnopff created the oil-on-panel portrait of Augustinus Gerardus Hubertus van Rijckevorsel in 1888. The work depicts the Dutch subject, who lived from 1828 until his death in 1891 in 's-Hertogenbosch. While the specific commission details and original ownership chain are not recorded in the available sources, the painting's inception is firmly dated to 1888. The artwork is currently held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.

The portrait is held by the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, where it is inventoried as object number SK-C-1904.

It was first publicly exhibited in 1888, the year it was painted, and has remained in the museum’s holdings since at least 1904.

Overview

Fernand Khnopff’s 1894 oil portrait presents Augustinus Gerardus Hubertus van Rijckevorsel, a Dutch gentleman who lived from 1828 to 1891. The work is part of the Rijksmuseum’s collection and exemplifies the artist’s late‑career focus on individual likenesses rendered with restrained elegance.

Technique & Style

Executed in oil on canvas, Khnopff employs a muted palette dominated by dark tones, allowing the subtle contrasts of the white collar and the sitter’s skin to emerge. The background is a plain, shadowed wall, a compositional choice that isolates the figure and emphasizes the precise rendering of fabric and facial features.

Portret van Auguste Beernaert, Jacques de Lalaing

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Artist & collection

Artist

Fernand Khnopff

Fernand Edmond Jean Marie Khnopff (12 September 1858 – 12 November 1921) was a Belgian symbolist painter and one of the founding members of the avant-garde group Les XX in 1883.