Updated November 2026 · ranked by our popularity score (searches, visits and orders for each work) · 8 works by Arnold van Ravesteyn in our catalogue
In short
Jacob Cats (1577-1660) (1660) is the Arnold van Ravesteyn painting that draws the most eyes; the original belongs to the Mauritshuis, The Hague. After it, the eye goes to Portrait of a Lady in a black dress and a lace collar holding an orange (1641) and Portrait of a woman (1651). Among the 8 works of Arnold van Ravesteyn in our catalog, these 8 are the most famous, each a unique original presented with its year, its museum and the reason it endures.
This 1660 oil on canvas portrait by Arnold van Ravesteyn presents a formal and dignified three-quarter length depiction of the subject, Jacob Cats. The composition positions the elderly man slightly off-center, creating a sense of presence and authority. He is rendered in a realistic Baroque style, characterized by a dramatic use of chiaroscuro where a single light source illuminates his face and hands, leaving much of the background in deep…
The 6 museums that hold the most of the paintings on this page.
| Museum | City | Works by Arnold van Ravesteyn | Paintings from this list |
|---|---|---|---|
 Statens Museum For Kunst |
Copenhagen | 2 | Portrait of the Advocate Cornelis Bosch, The Entombment |
 Mauritshuis |
The Hague | 1 | Jacob Cats (1577-1660) |
 Rijksmuseum Twenthe |
Enschede | 1 | Portrait of a woman |
 Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen |
Rotterdam | 1 | Portrait of a young woman |
 Museum Catharijneconvent |
Utrecht | 1 | Portrait of Cornelis van Wijckerslooth (?-1679) |
 National Gallery of Ireland |
Dublin City | 1 | Portrait of a Young Lady |
Pick a decade to see the original that defines it.
This 1660 oil on canvas portrait by Arnold van Ravesteyn presents a formal and dignified three-quarter length depiction of the subject, Jacob Cats. The composition positions the elderly man slightly off-center, creating a sense of presence and authority. He is rendered in a realistic Baroque style, characterized by a dramatic use of chiaroscuro where a single light source illuminates his face and hands, leaving much of the background in deep…
Jacob Cats (1577-1660) (1660), Mauritshuis, The Hague. Portrait of a Lady in a black dress and a lace collar holding an orange (1641) and Portrait of a woman (1651) come next.
55 years old: Jacob Cats (1577-1660) dates from 1660, and Arnold van Ravesteyn was born in 1605.
Our catalog holds 8 works by Arnold van Ravesteyn, dated from 1641 to 1683.
Mostly in Statens Museum For Kunst (Copenhagen), Mauritshuis (The Hague) and Rijksmuseum Twenthe (Enschede). The museum table above lists them all.
In 1660s: 3 of the 8 works on this page were made then, Jacob Cats (1577-1660) among them.
On this page, the earliest is Portrait of a Lady in a black dress and a lace collar holding an orange (1641) and the latest The Entombment (1683).
Portrait of the Advocate Cornelis Bosch and The Entombment: the Statens Museum For Kunst, Copenhagen holds 2 of the works on this page.
Born in The Hague in 1605, Arnold van Ravesteyn lived a life deeply connected to the artistic traditions of the Dutch Golden Age. He was raised in an environment where the brush and canvas were part of the family language, having studied under his father, Anthonie van Ravesteyn. This early apprenticeship provided him with a foundation in the craft, as he learned the nuances of portraiture within the walls of his family home. His connection to the art community was further solidified through his presence in the professional circles of the time, moving between the creative hubs of The Hague and Haarlem.
His professional life was marked by a commitment to the teaching of others. He passed his knowledge down to a new generation of painters, including Samuel Cabeljauw, Johannes Dabbe, Daniël Haringh, Job Houttuyn, Otto Hoynck, Willem Frederiksz van Royen, and Willem Wissing. Through these students, his technical approach and his understanding of the human form continued to influence the local art scene long after his own hand had left the brush.
Van Ravesteyn focused his attention on the faces and characters of his contemporaries. His work often captured the quiet dignity of his subjects, using oil on canvas to render the textures of skin and the subtle sheen of fine clothing. In his 1660 work, Portrait of the Advocate Cornelis Bosch, he applied his skill to capture the likeness of a man of standing, focusing on the specific details that defined a person's social presence. He was a painter of the individual, interested in the way light fell across a face or the way a piece of jewelry might catch the eye.
His ability to translate a person's essence onto a flat surface is seen in works such as his Portrait of a young woman. In these pieces, he utilized a careful technique to depict the softness of youth and the weight of fabric. Even in his later years, such as in the 1683 Portrait of a Lady, his work remained a study in the quiet observation of his subjects, often portraying them in half-length views that emphasized their poise and the fine details of their attire, such as pearl jewelry.
