Artwork
Portrait of Johann Joseph Hermann (1782-1857), father-in law of the artist, with Ida Schwartze, the artist's oldest daughter
Portrait of Johann Joseph Hermann (1782-1857), father-in law of the artist, with Ida Schwartze, the artist's oldest daughter is an oil painting by the Realist artist Johan Georg Schwartze. It dates from 1850 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
About this work
Overview
Around 1850, Dutch painter Johann Georg Schwartze executed an oil portrait featuring his father‑in‑law, Johann Joseph Hermann (1782–1857), alongside Ida Schwartz, his eldest daughter. The work, now part of the Rijksmuseum’s collection, presents the two figures seated against a muted backdrop, their gazes directed toward the viewer.
Subject & Meaning
The composition pairs an elderly gentleman in a dark coat and white cravat with a young girl wrapped in a fur‑lined cloak and a modest, wide‑brimmed hat. Both sit with calm, slightly serious expressions, their faces illuminated to emphasize their relationship and the generational contrast.
Technique & Style
Executed in a realist idiom, the painting employs loose brushwork, especially on the man's facial features, creating a textured surface. Chiaroscuro effects model the forms, with soft light on the cheeks and deeper shadows beneath the chins, while the blurred background isolates the subjects.
History & Provenance
Johann Georg Schwartze, trained in Düsseldorf and later active in Philadelphia, produced this work as a personal family portrait. The painting entered the Rijksmuseum’s holdings, where it remains on display as part of the museum’s Dutch 19th‑century collection.
Context
Schwartze’s career encompassed both portraiture and historical scenes; he was also the father of notable artists Therese Schwartze, a painter, and Georgine Schwartze, a sculptor. This family portrait reflects his interest in intimate, realistic representation within the broader Dutch realist movement of the mid‑19th century.
Artist & collection
Artist
Johann Georg Schwartze (20 October 1814 – 28 August 1874) was a painter from the Northern Netherlands who grew up in Philadelphia and was trained in Düsseldorf and the Düsseldorf school.
