Artwork
Portrait of Johan Fraser
Portrait of Johan Fraser is an oil painting by Charles Howard Hodges. It dates from 1835 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
About this work
Overview
Charles Howard Hodges, an English artist who worked in the Netherlands during the turn of the 19th century, painted a portrait of Johan Fraser in 1835. Executed in oil on canvas, the work presents a seated gentleman against a muted green curtain and a modest bookshelf. The painting is part of the Rijksmuseum’s permanent collection.
Subject & Meaning
The sitter, Johan Fraser, is shown in a black coat, white shirt and black vest, his short, curled hair framing a serious, direct gaze toward the viewer. A medal rests on his left breast, suggesting status or achievement. The inclusion of a book and the surrounding curtain convey a scholarly or dignified atmosphere, emphasizing Fraser’s intellectual or civic standing.
Technique & Style
The composition balances the figure’s vertical posture with the horizontal lines of the curtain and bookshelf, creating depth without excessive ornamentation.
Hodges employs a restrained chiaroscuro, allowing a soft light from the left to illuminate Fraser’s face while the surrounding drapery recedes into shadow. The brushwork is smooth, especially in the rendering of the fabric and the polished metal of the medal. The composition balances the figure’s vertical posture with the horizontal lines of the curtain and bookshelf, creating depth without excessive ornamentation.
History & Provenance
Created in 1835, the portrait entered the Rijksmuseum’s holdings at an unspecified date, where it remains on display. Hodges’ reputation for depicting notable individuals of his era situates this work within a broader series of commissions that documented the Dutch elite of the early 19th century.
Artist & collection
Artist
Charles Howard Hodges (1764 – 24 July 1837) was an English painter active in the Netherlands during the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
Portrait of a Woman
William I (1772-1843), King of the Netherlands
Portrait of Reinier Vinkeles, Draftsman and Engraver
Portrait of Pieter Ernst Hendrik Praetorius, Broker, Draftsman and Painter. Chairman of the Board of the Rijksmuseum 1852-74
Portrait of Christian Edouard Fraser, Second Lieutenant of the 5th Regiment of the Dragoons
Portrait of a Man, perhaps J.W. Beynen
Portrait of Jacoba Vetter, Wife of Pieter Meijer Warnars, Bookseller in Amsterdam
Portrait of Willem Bilderdijk
