Jan Toorop
- Artist: Sir William Rothenstein
- Date: 1894
- Medium: Oil paint on canvas
- Dimensions: support: 622 x 508 mm
- Museum: Tate Britain
- Collection record: Tate Britain website
Listen to the free audio guide
About this artwork
This is the portrait by Sir William Rothenstein of the Dutch symbolist painter "Jan Toorop". Created in 1894, the oil on canvas measures 62 by 51 centimetres, a medium‑sized study that Rothenstein worked on in a single sitting because he said he didn't know how to repaint. He recalled Toorop's “magnificent head” and the “physical glamour of a portrait by Titian or Tintoretto.” The sitter’s thick black hair and penetrating eyes command the canvas, giving a sense of depth that was striking to the artist. Rothenstein chose this subject early on in London when Toorop had just arrived in England in 1885. The painting was purchased in 1924 and now sits in a collection that showcases early twentieth‑century British art. The portrait captures both the formal poise expected of an academic portrait and the subtle expressive quality that characterises Toorop’s own work, making it a fascinating dialogue between painter and sitter.
See it in person
Jan Toorop is in the collection of Tate Britain on Millbank, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
