Portraits in Old Flemish Style

Tronie Portrait

A tronie is a type of portrait popular in the 16th and 17th centuries, especially in the Dutch Golden Age, (as well as Flemish and Italian ) that depicts an anonymous figure rather than a specific individual. This style utilizes a multi-layered oil technique.

Unlike a commissioned portrait, tronies did not depict a specific customer, but represented a generalized, “typical” image. In them, artists explored characteristic features, facial expressions, lighting, unusual angles, as well as spectacular costumes and headdresses.
The purpose of tronies was not to capture a person, but to convey mood, character, texture and emotions.

Tronie were painted by such artists as Jan Vermeer (Girl with a Pearl Earring), Peter Paul Rubens, Frans Hals, Rembrandt etc.