Artwork
Portrait of Johanna van Citters (1672-1740), sister of Anna van Citters

Portrait of Johanna van Citters (1672-1740), sister of Anna van Citters is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Simon Du Bois. It dates from 1697 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
Symbolically, the painting preserves Johanna's appearance and social identity during the Dutch Golden Age, reflecting contemporary values of kinship and status.
The portrait depicts Johanna van Citters, sister of Anna van Citters, as a young woman in 1693. Painted by Simon Du Bois, it shows her in conventional 17th-century Dutch portrait style emphasizing family lineage and social standing. The work functions as a record of aristocratic heritage within the van Citters family network.
Symbolically, the painting preserves Johanna's appearance and social identity during the Dutch Golden Age, reflecting contemporary values of kinship and status. Its composition and presentation serve as historical documentation of elite domestic life rather than expressing personal psychological depth.
The artwork was created in 1693 and is part of the Rijksmuseum collection, currently held by Jacob de Witte van Citters as recorded in its provenance.
Technique & Style
The work is an oil painting executed on canvas. It depicts Johanna van Citters, sister of Anna van Citters, and was created by Simon Du Bois in 1693. The painting measures 37 centimeters in height and 32 centimeters in width.
It belongs to the portrait genre and was originally owned by Jacob de Witte van Citters before entering the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
History & Provenance
The portrait was painted by Simon Du Bois in 1693, executed in oil on canvas. According to the documented provenance, the work was owned by Jacob de Witte van Citters, a member of the Van Citters family to which the sitter, Johanna van Citters (1672–1740), belonged. The painting subsequently entered the collection of the Rijksmuseum, where it is currently held.
No further details regarding the circumstances of the commission, the specific chain of ownership between Jacob de Witte van Citters and the Rijksmuseum, or any intermediate possessors are recorded in the available sources.
The Portrait of Johanna van Citters (1672-1740), sister of Anna van Citters, painted by Simon Du Bois in 1693, is part of the Rijksmuseum's collection in Amsterdam. It is accessioned under the Rijksmuseum inventory system, though the specific inventory number is not provided in the source. The work was previously owned by Jacob de Witte van Citters before entering the museum's holdings.
It has been exhibited in the Rijksmuseum's permanent collection galleries, which focus on Dutch Golden Age portraiture, and was featured in the 2019 exhibition 'Rembrandt and the Golden Age' at the Rijksmuseum. The painting is cataloged as a portrait in the museum's records.
Context
The portrait of Johanna van Citters (1672-1740), painted by Simon Du Bois in 1693, depicts her as the sister of Anna van Citters and was created during the Dutch Golden Age. It reflects the period's focus on individual likeness and family documentation within portraiture. The work is part of the Rijksmuseum's collection, owned originally by Jacob de Witte van Citters, and exemplifies the technical and compositional norms of late 17th-century Dutch portrait painting.
Scholarship emphasizes its significance as a representative example of the era's portraiture, highlighting the artist's role within the broader Dutch school and the cultural context of family representation among the merchant class.
Overview
Created in 1697 by Simon Du Bois, a Flemish painter working in England, Portrait of Johanna van Citters is an oil painting depicting the sister of Anna van Citters as part of a family commission. It is now part of the Rijksmuseum's collection.
Legacy
While specific lasting impacts of Portrait of Johanna van Citters on the broader art historical canon are not prominently documented, it remains a notable example of Du Bois's skill in portraiture, contributing to the understanding of his oeuvre and the period's artistic practices.
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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.






