Artwork
Broche met silhouetportret van een vrouw
Broche met silhouetportret van een vrouw is an ivory painting. It dates from 1796 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum. The object is a diminutive, oval-shaped portrait rendered in relief on a piece of ivory.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
Its creation in 1790 situates it within a period when such works served as personal mementos rather than public statements of identity.
The portrait shows an anonymous woman rendered in ivory, reflecting the tradition of miniature portraiture popular in the Northern Low Countries during the late 18th century. Its creation in 1790 situates it within a period when such works served as personal mementos rather than public statements of identity. The lack of overt symbolic attributes emphasizes a focus on likeness and presence, aligning with the portrait genre's intent to capture a sitter's appearance without narrative embellishment.
Technique & Style
The brooch takes the form of a miniature silhouette portrait of a woman, executed on ivory. The support is a small ivory panel, with the work classified as a painting despite its diminutive scale. Its measurements are 2.5 cm in height by 1.5 cm in width, making it an exceptionally compact object suited to jewelry wear.
The portrait was produced in 1790, consistent with the late eighteenth-century Northern Low Countries tradition of small-scale ivory miniatures intended for personal adornment.
History & Provenance
The miniature portrait on ivory was created in 1790 in the Northern Low Countries and entered the Rijksmuseum collection, where it remains on display.
The work was commissioned as a brooch featuring a painted silhouette of an unidentified woman, reflecting the fashion for such decorative objects in the late 18th century. It was produced as an anonymous painting within the portrait genre, using ivory as the support medium. The piece measures 2.5 cm in height and 1.5 cm in width, and its creation date is recorded as 1790‑01‑01 in the museum’s records.
The brooch with a silhouette portrait of a woman is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum, where it is located as part of the museum's holdings.
No specific inventory or accession number is recorded in the available sources, and no exhibition history is documented for the work.
Overview
The object is a diminutive, oval-shaped portrait rendered in relief on a piece of ivory. The figure appears as a dark silhouette against a lighter background, with loosely rendered, wavy hair framing the sides of the head. The ivory has been polished to a gentle sheen, giving the work a subtle luminosity.
It is attached to a slender metal pin, suggesting its use as a decorative brooch or hair ornament.
Context
Portrait brooches of this type served both ornamental and commemorative purposes, often given as gifts or worn to signify affiliation with a family or patron. The silhouette approach allowed for a discreet representation of a loved one, fitting within the broader tradition of miniature portraiture that circulated among the elite as portable, intimate artworks.
Artist & collection
