Artwork
Bellona
Bellona is an oil painting by the Early Baroque Italian artist Rembrandt van Rijn. It dates from 1633 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
A figure stands in heavy armor, holding a round shield carved with a face. A dark plume tops the helmet, and gold trim catches the eye against a plain, dark background. The calm, faintly smiling face and the weight of the armor suggest someone powerful. Rembrandt painted it in oil in 1633.
Subject & Meaning
The depiction merges the visual characteristics of a woman with the attributes of the goddess to represent this mythological figure within a single composition.
The painting depicts the Roman goddess of war, Bellona, portrayed as a woman clad in armor. Created in 1633, the work functions as a tronie, a genre focusing on character study rather than a formal narrative portrait. The subject is identified explicitly as the goddess, emphasizing her martial nature through the inclusion of armor.
While the piece presents a female figure, the specific iconography relies on the traditional association of armor with the deity Bellona to convey her identity and symbolic role as a personification of war. The depiction merges the visual characteristics of a woman with the attributes of the goddess to represent this mythological figure within a single composition.
Technique & Style
Bellona is executed as an oil painting on canvas, a support typical of Rembrandt’s portrait practice in the 1630s. The work employs oil paint to render the figure of the goddess Bellona, depicted in armor, with the characteristic handling of light and texture associated with the artist’s tronie genre. The painting measures 127 cm in height and 97.5 cm in width, reflecting the scale of a full‑length portrait.
Its formal qualities include a dramatic chiaroscuro that models the figure against a dark background, emphasizing the metallic details of the armor. The sources do not provide information on the current handling, conservation status, or specific condition details of the work.
History & Provenance
Created in 1633, Rembrandt's oil-on-canvas painting Bellona was initially owned by Étienne Martin de Beurnonville before passing to Robert Henry Roe. The work subsequently entered the collection of the 1st Duke of Buckingham and Chandos, Richard Temple-Nugent-Brydges-Chandos-Grenville, and later his son, the 2nd Duke of Buckingham and Chandos. Ownership then transferred to George Nugent-Temple-Grenville, the 1st Marquess of Buckingham, followed by Charles Sedelmeyer.
The painting was eventually acquired by Michael Friedsam, whose bequest secured its placement at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. While the work is dated to 1633, its specific commission details remain undocumented in the provided records, though it is classified as a tronie depicting the goddess in armor.
Bellona is housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, where it is part of the museum's collection and was acquired through the Charles Sedelmeyer bequest, later documented in the Sedelmeyer collection. The work remains on the museum's inventory as a Rembrandt painting from 1633, classified as a tronie. No exhibition records are cited in the available documentation, indicating that the painting has not been listed in major exhibition catalogues to date.
Overview
Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn's oil painting Bellona, created in 1633, portrays the Roman goddess of war. This work exemplifies the Dutch Golden Age master's early career, showcasing his developing skill in rendering dramatic subjects. The painting presents Bellona in formidable armor, a powerful figure emerging from a dark background, characteristic of the era's dramatic artistic trends.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn, known mononymously as Rembrandt, was a Dutch Golden Age painter, printmaker, and draughtsman.
