Johanna van Citters (1672-1740)

About this artwork

oil on canvas

Art Historical Context

This intimate portrait captures Johanna van Citters at the age of twenty-one, painted in 1693 by Simon Dubois. The modest scale of the work—roughly the size of a small mirror—suggests it may have been created for private display, perhaps as a cherished keepsake within her family circle. Johanna, who lived until 1740, belonged to a prominent Dutch family, and this likeness preserves her youth during the final decades of the Dutch Golden Age. Dubois employed the rich possibilities of oil on canvas to render subtle details of costume and expression with luminous clarity. The medium allowed for delicate transitions of light and shadow, lending the figure a lifelike presence despite the painting’s compact format. Today housed in the Rijksmuseum, the work offers visitors a quiet window into the personal world of a young woman whose life spanned a transformative era in Dutch history.

About the Artist

Simon Dubois · 1632–1708

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