Portrait van Frederik Willem van Limburg Stirum (1774-1850) 1810 - 1815

Pierre Joseph Gauthier painted this portrait of Frederik Willem van Limburg Stirum, likely using watercolor on ivory, sometime in the first half of the 19th century. It presents the sitter in profile, a common convention in portrait miniatures of this period. What does the image tell us? The man's clothing and hairstyle indicate his upper-class status, a position of power in the Netherlands at this time. Limburg Stirum was a member of a prominent family with a history of military and political service. This portrait, therefore, serves not only as a personal memento but also as a statement of social standing. To fully understand this work, we might research the Limburg Stirum family history, the conventions of 19th-century portraiture, and the role of miniatures within the Dutch elite. The meaning of art is always contingent on its social and institutional context.