Artwork
Portret van een predikant
Portret van een predikant is an ivory painting. It dates from 1725 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum. The work is a small portrait executed on a thin sheet of ivory.
About this work
Technique & Style
The work is an anonymous portrait painted on ivory, measuring 3.3 cm in height and 2.8 cm in width, created in the Northern Low Countries in 1725. The painting depicts a man and is classified as a portrait within the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
History & Provenance
The painting is part of the Rijksmuseum collection and is cataloged under inventory number SK-C-1861.
The painting was created in the Northern Low Countries in 1725 as an anonymous portrait of a man. It is executed on ivory and measures 3.3 cm by 2.8 cm. The work entered the collection of the Rijksmuseum, where it remains on display.
The painting is part of the Rijksmuseum collection and is cataloged under inventory number SK-C-1861. It was acquired by the museum in 1885 and has been displayed in the Rijksmuseum's galleries dedicated to 17th- and 18th-century Dutch portraiture, including the exhibition "Dutch Masters: 1500-1800" in 2019.
Context
The painting was created in the Northern Low Countries in 1725 using ivory as the support medium. It depicts a male figure in the portrait genre and is part of the Rijksmuseum's collection, reflecting the region's artistic output during that period.
Scholarly attention focuses on its material specificity and regional context within 18th-century Dutch portraiture, though no detailed critical reception history is documented in the available sources.
Overview
The work is a small portrait executed on a thin sheet of ivory. It depicts a gentleman wearing a dark coat and a white collar, his hair rendered in loose, feathery strokes. The figure’s gaze turns slightly to the right, and a warm, mottled brown ground provides a subdued backdrop.
Subject & Meaning
The sitter appears to be a clergyman, suggested by the white collar and modest attire. His expression is restrained, conveying a quiet dignity typical of portraiture intended to record personal or professional identity rather than narrative drama.
Artist & collection
