Artwork
Portrait of Titus (overpaint removed between 1908-1935)
Portrait of Titus (overpaint removed between 1908-1935) is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Rembrandt van Rijn. It dates from 1654 and is held in the collection of the Detroit Institute of Arts.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
As a portrait genre piece created in 1654, the painting focuses on the representation of this specific individual rather than a broader allegorical narrative.
The work depicts a young boy, identified by the title as Titus, wearing a hat. As a portrait genre piece created in 1654, the painting focuses on the representation of this specific individual rather than a broader allegorical narrative. The inclusion of the hat is a noted visual element of the subject's portrayal. The piece serves as a direct likeness of the sitter within the context of Rembrandt's portraiture.
Technique & Style
The work is an oil painting executed on canvas, depicting a boy in a hat. Its surface has undergone treatment involving removal of overpaint between 1908 and 1935, revealing the original execution. The painting measures 54 centimeters in height by 43.5 centimeters in width and belongs to the portrait genre within the Baroque tradition, characterized by naturalistic rendering and chiaroscuro modeling.
The Detroit Institute of Arts holds the work, which entered the collection through the Charles Sedelmeyer bequest following its earlier provenance with Humphry Ward, Charles Sedelmeyer, George Salting, Edgar Bancroft Whitcomb, and Anna Scripps Whitcomb.
History & Provenance
The Portrait of Titus was created by Rembrandt in 1654 as an oil painting on canvas. According to documented ownership records, the work passed through several private collections before reaching its present institutional home. Its recorded owners include Humphry Ward, George Salting, Charles Sedelmeyer, Edgar Bancroft Whitcomb, and Anna Scripps Whitcomb.
The painting is now held in the Detroit Institute of Arts collection, having entered the museum through the Charles Sedelmeyer collection provenance line. Between 1908 and 1935, an overpaint layer was removed from the work, altering its visible surface and refining its present appearance.
The painting's documented dimensions are 54 cm in height by 43.5 cm in width, and it depicts a boy wearing a hat.
The painting is held by the Detroit Institute of Arts. According to the collection record, it passed through several private owners before entering the museum, including Humphry Ward, George Salting, Charles Sedelmeyer, and Edgar Bancroft Whitcomb, the last of whom, with his wife Anna Scripps Whitcomb, is associated with the work's transfer into the Detroit Institute of Arts.
No accession number is recorded in the available sources, and no exhibition history is documented.
Overview
Portrait of Titus, created in 1654 by Rembrandt van Rijn, is a Dutch Golden Age oil painting. It portrays a youthful figure in a dark hat and jacket set against a somber background, now part of the Detroit Institute of Arts collection.
Context
Part of Rembrandt's extensive oeuvre of over 300 paintings, alongside etchings and drawings, this portrait reflects his mastery within the Dutch Golden Age.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn, known mononymously as Rembrandt, was a Dutch Golden Age painter, printmaker, and draughtsman.
