Portret van Jacob de Wit, borstbeeld in ovaal 1708 - 1780

Jacob Houbraken made this portrait of Jacob de Wit in the 18th century using pen in gray on paper. The portrait presents us with a painting of an artist by an artist, but it also raises interesting questions about the role of the artist in Dutch society. We see de Wit framed in an oval, held up by a putto, with the tools of his trade—palette, brushes—laid out below. This carefully constructed image conveys de Wit’s importance. Made during the Dutch Golden Age, we can see the rise of civic humanism in the symbolism of the classical bust included in the image. The presence of the putto suggests a celebration of artistic genius. This was a time when artists were gaining prominence and sought to elevate their status. It would be interesting to see if Houbraken, as the artist, was making a comment on the art world of the time and the institutions that supported or hindered artistic success. To understand this piece, you would need to research not just the lives of the two Jacobs, but also the institutions of the art world in the Netherlands in the 1700s.