Portret van Matthias de Vries, hoogleraar Nederlands en Vaderlandse Geschiedenis te Leiden

Neuman's portrait of Matthias de Vries, Professor of Dutch Language and Fatherland History at Leiden University, documents one of the nineteenth century's most important scholars of the Dutch language. De Vries (1820-1892) is best known as the founding editor of the Woordenboek der Nederlandsche Taal (WNT), the comprehensive dictionary of the Dutch language that took more than a century to complete — the Dutch equivalent of the Oxford English Dictionary. His portrait for Leiden's collection recognizes both his institutional achievement and his foundational contribution to Dutch cultural heritage.

The portrait follows the sober conventions of Dutch academic portraiture: dark formal dress, dignified three-quarter pose, the sitter's scholarly character conveyed through physiognomic attention rather than symbolic props. Neuman's handling is careful and competent, the face given the fullest attention.