Portret van Theodorus Craanen

About this artwork

plaatrand: hoogte 287 mm x breedte 242 mm

Art Historical Context

This engraving by Jacob Toorenvliet presents a formal portrait of Theodorus Craanen, capturing the subject with precise linework characteristic of the medium. Created sometime between 1651 and 1719, the print measures 287 by 242 millimeters and highlights the artist’s skill in rendering subtle details through incised lines on a metal plate. Such portraits served as accessible records of notable individuals during the Dutch Golden Age. Engraving was a vital reproductive technique in the 17th and 18th centuries, allowing images to circulate widely beyond a single painted original. Toorenvliet’s use of this method underscores the period’s growing interest in disseminating likenesses of scholars and professionals through affordable prints. The crisp plate edges and measured dimensions reflect the technical standards of Dutch printmaking at the time. Visitors can appreciate how this work blends personal commemoration with broader cultural exchange, offering a window into historical figures and artistic practices of the era.

About the Artist

Jacob Toorenvliet · 1635–1719

**Jacob Toorenvliet (1640–1719)** Jacob Toorenvliet was baptized on 1 July 1640 in Leiden, in the Dutch Republic, the son of Abraham Toorenvliet, a prominent glass painter, drawing master, and member of both the Glassmakers’ Guild and the Guild of Saint Luke. He learned the rudiments of painting from his father, who also instructed artists like Frans van Mieris the Elder and Matthijs Naiveu, befo...