Portrait of Petrus Albertus van der Parra, Governor-General of the Dutch East India Company

The portrait of Petrus Albertus van der Parra was created in 1761. It is an anonymous painting executed in oil on brass, measuring 108.5 cm in height and 93 cm in width. The work is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum, where it remains located.

The sources do not document the circumstances of the commission, the original patron, or the chain of ownership by which the painting entered the Rijksmuseum's holdings, nor do they record later provenance events such as sales, loans, or deaccessions.

The Portrait of Petrus Albertus van der Parra is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum. The artwork, which depicts the Governor-General of the Dutch East India Company, was created in 1761. While the specific inventory or accession number is not provided in the available records, the museum houses this oil painting on brass.

The work measures 108.5 cm in height and 93 cm in width. No specific exhibition history or past showing dates are documented in the provided sources.

The work depicts Petrus Albertus van der Parra, who served as Governor‑General of the Dutch East India Company. Executed in brass, the portrait presents the official in a dark red coat trimmed with gold embroidery, a white ruff, and a walking stick in his left hand. A small, round object rests under his right hand, while a half‑peeled lemon and a diminutive knife lie on the floor. The background is a dark, textured surface that barely reveals a faint heraldic device.

The portrait reflects the broader Dutch practice of commemorating colonial officials with elaborate personal likenesses. Brass was a favored medium for durable, transportable works that could survive long voyages. Such images served both as status symbols for the individual and as visual propaganda for the commercial and political reach of the Dutch East India Company.