Portrait of Cornelis de Witt
Classification
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Gift of Eleanor and Sarah Hewitt
Accession Number
1931-94-98
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
In the Smithsonian American Art Museum's collection Jacobus Houbraken's *Portrait of Cornelis de Witt* (ca. 1760) captures the dignified likeness of a pivotal figure from Dutch history. Houbraken, a renowned engraver (1698–1780) from a celebrated family of artists—his father, Arnold, was a noted biographer and etcher—specialized in meticulous portrait prints. This work, classified as a print with medium details under research, exemplifies the 18th-century tradition of reproductive engraving, likely based on an earlier painting to honor enduring legacies. Cornelis de Witt (1623–1672) was a pro...