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Portrait of Aletta van Ravensberg (1635-77). Wife of Jan van Nes by Ludolf de Jongh

Ludolf de Jongh · 1668-01-01

Portrait of Aletta van Ravensberg, painted by Ludolf de Jongh in 1668, now at the Rijksmuseum. De Jongh was not only a leading genre painter in Rotterdam, he was also the town sheriff of Hillegersberg.

Look at her gloves. Folded. Held in her hand. Then look at the thin ring on her left hand. The painting's full title names her as the wife of Jan van Nes. Behind her, a garden path winds into private green, this is not a studio backdrop.

The Dutch Golden Age produced thousands of portraits of wealthy sitters in fine clothes. But de Jongh's life was unusual. He split his time between the easel, the Rotterdam civil guard, and the sheriff's office, painting the merchants and families of a prosperous city.

A portrait of a woman, painted by a sheriff. Sometimes the story is not just in the face. It is in the gloves, the ring, and the man holding the brush.

Details

A woman in a garden. She meets your eye.
A woman in a garden. She meets your eye.
Look at her gloves. Folded. Held in her hand.
Look at her gloves. Folded. Held in her hand.
The intricate detail of the lace suggests wealth and status, a testament to the sitter's social standing.
The intricate detail of the lace suggests wealth and status, a testament to the sitter's social standing.
Transcript

Rotterdam, 1668. A painter who was also the town sheriff. A woman in a garden. She meets your eye. Look at her gloves. Folded. Held in her hand. A wedding ring. The title: Wife of Jan van Nes. He worked between the studio and the sheriff's office.