Johanna van Rijswijk (b. 1715), Wife of Jan Hendrik van Rijswijk

About this artwork

inscriptie, achterzijde: ‘Johanna van Rijswijk Nat 30 November 1715’

Art Historical Context

This elegant oil-on-canvas portrait, painted in 1754 by Isaac Lodewijk la Fargue van Nieuwland, captures Johanna van Rijswijk at approximately thirty-nine years of age. The inscription on the reverse—“Johanna van Rijswijk Nat 30 November 1715”—confirms her identity and provides a precise biographical anchor. As the wife of Jan Hendrik van Rijswijk, Johanna likely sat for this work as part of a pair of companion portraits, a common practice among prosperous-century Dutch families seeking to record their social standing. Oil on canvas was the favored medium for formal likenesses of the period, allowing artists to achieve rich textures in fabrics and subtle gradations of skin tone that convey both status and personality. Measuring 95 by 79 centimeters, the painting’s intimate scale suits a domestic setting while still commanding attention through its careful composition. Today housed in the Rijksmuseum, the work offers visitors a glimpse into mid-eighteenth-century Dutch bourgeois life, where portraiture served as both personal keepsake and quiet assertion of family legacy.