Artwork
Gerrit Van Kouwenhoven
Gerrit Van Kouwenhoven is a watercolor painting. It dates from 1805 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The subject is presented simply as a man, focusing on the individual's appearance rather than symbolic representation or allegorical meaning.
The work is a portrait depicting a man, executed in 1805. As an anonymous painting, the piece functions primarily as a likeness of the male sitter without additional narrative context or specific iconographic elements identified in the records. The subject is presented simply as a man, focusing on the individual's appearance rather than symbolic representation or allegorical meaning. The artwork serves as a straightforward visual record of the sitter from the early nineteenth century.
History & Provenance
Gerrit Van Kouwenhoven is a watercolor-on-ivory miniature portrait executed in 1805 by an unknown American artist. Its creation falls within the early period of American miniature painting on ivory, a medium that gained popularity in the United States during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. The work is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it is classified under The American Wing. No specific commission history or prior ownership chain is documented in the available sources.
The watercolor portrait of Gerrit Van Kouwenhoven is held by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it is classified under The American Wing. The work measures 4.9 by 3.7 cm. No inventory or accession number is provided in the available sources, and no exhibition history is documented.
Overview
This miniature portrait depicts Gerrit Van Kouwenhoven, rendered in watercolor on a thin ivory support. The subject is presented in a dark coat, gazing directly forward with a serene expression. The artwork's small scale and delicate medium are characteristic of personal keepsakes from its era, often displayed within the American Wing collection.
Technique & Style
The artist utilized watercolor applied to a thin sheet of ivory, a common practice for small-scale portraits during the period. This choice of medium allows light to transmit through the translucent ivory, imparting a subtle luminosity to the depicted skin tones. The technique was particularly favored for creating enduring, cherished likenesses.
Context
Many such miniature portraits from this period were created by artists whose identities have not been preserved. While the specific creator of Gerrit Van Kouwenhoven remains unrecorded, the prevalence of unsigned or unattributed works underscores the widespread demand for these personal mementos, often valued more for their subject than their maker.
Artist & collection
