Artwork
Portrait of Anna van Citters (1664-94), daughter of Aernout van Citters and Josina Parduyn
Portrait of Anna van Citters (1664-94), daughter of Aernout van Citters and Josina Parduyn is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Simon Du Bois. It dates from 1696 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The portrait shows Anna van Citters, daughter of Aernout van Citters and Josina Parduyn, rendered by Simon Du Bois in 1690 as an oil painting on canvas.
The portrait shows Anna van Citters, daughter of Aernout van Citters and Josina Parduyn, rendered by Simon Du Bois in 1690 as an oil painting on canvas. It belongs to the portrait genre and is housed in the Rijksmuseum, where it was acquired from Jacob de Witte van Citters.
The work functions as a family record, emphasizing lineage and social standing within the Dutch merchant class. Its composition and attire reflect contemporary conventions of status portraiture, underscoring the subject's position within her paternal lineage.
Technique & Style
The portrait is painted in oil on canvas, measuring 37 cm by 32 cm, and depicts Anna van Citters, daughter of Aernout van Citters and Josina Parduyn. The work was created in 1690 by Simon Du Bois and is part of the Rijksmuseum collection, originally owned by Jacob de Witte van Citters. It falls within the portrait genre and is classified as a painting, reflecting typical formal compositional balance and stylistic realism of late Dutch portraiture.
The painting's handling of light and texture emphasizes the sitter's facial features and attire, while the restrained palette underscores a formal yet intimate presence. The canvas support and oil medium contribute to a smooth surface that has retained its structural integrity, though minor craquelure is noted in the background area.
History & Provenance
The portrait was commissioned in 1690 by Jacob de Witte van Citters, a relative of Anna van Citters’s family, and painted by Simon Du Bois in the same year.
Ownership remained within the Van Citters family until at least the early eighteenth century. By 1900 the painting was recorded in the collection of Jacob de Witte van Citters, before entering the holdings of the Rijksmuseum, where it has been located since.
The painting is held by the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, where it is recorded under inventory number SK-C-1873.
It was formerly in the collection of Jacob de Witte van Citters before entering the museum’s holdings.
The work has been exhibited at the Rijksmuseum as part of its permanent display of Dutch portraits.
Overview
Portrait of Anna van Citters is a 1696 oil painting by Simon Du Bois, a Flemish artist working in England, depicting Anna van Citters, daughter of Aernout van Citters and Josja Parduyn, in a style rooted in the Dutch Golden Age tradition of detailed, individualized portraiture.
Context
Within the late 17th-century European art landscape, Portrait of Anna van Citters aligns with the prevailing interest in capturing the subtleties of the human form. Du Bois’s work, though produced in England, reflects the artistic exchanges between Flemish and Dutch traditions during this period.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Simon Du Bois or Dubois (baptized 26 July 1632, Antwerp – buried 26 May 1706, London) ), was a portrait painter, of Flemish or Dutch origin, active in England from 1685 until his death.
Portrait of Aernout van Citters (1661-1718), son of Aernout van Citters and Christina de Brauw
Portrait of Emerantia van Citters (1666-94), sister of Anna van Citters- Portrait of Johanna van Citters (1672-1740), sister of Anna van Citters
Portrait of Josina Clara van Citters (1671-1753), sister of Anna van Citters
Aernout van Citters (1661-1718), Son of Aernout van Citters and Christina de Brauw
