Portret van een vrouw

About this artwork

…; sale, Mss S.D.V. M. et al., Dordrecht (A. Mak), 14 (15) May 1929 sqq., no. 557, fl. 60, to Adolph Staring van de Wildenborch (1890-1980), Deventer;{Note RMA.} his widow, Jacoba Henriette Magdalena Staring - de Mol van Otterloo (1901-96), Vorden; by whom donated, with xx other objects, to the museum, 1981

Art Historical Context

**Portrait of a Woman** *Joseph Marinkel, 1774* This exquisite miniature portrait crafted in 1774 Joseph Marinkel, captures the refined elegance of 18th-century Dutch portraiture on a remarkably small scale: just 5.5 cm high by 3.7 cm wide. Carved or painted on ivory—a prized medium for intimate artworks—its delicate thickness of 0.4 cm the miniaturist's extraordinary precision. Ivory portraits like this were highly valued in the Rococo era for their portability, often adorning jewelry, snuffboxes, or lockets as cherished personal mementos among the European elite. Marinkel, a skilled practitioner in this niche art form, exemplifies the technical virtuosity required to render lifelike features on such a tiny surface, where every brushstroke or incision demanded steady hands and fine tools. Created during the Dutch Enlightenment, when portraiture reflected social status and individuality, this work likely commemorates an unnamed woman of prominence, evoking the era's emphasis on graceful poise and subtle expression. Its fascinating provenance traces from a 1929 auction in Dordrecht, acquired by collector Adolph Staring van de Wildenborch, to a generous 1981 donation by his widow to the Rijksmuseum. Today, it invites visitors to marvel at a tiny window into 18th-century life, preserved for generations.