Portrait of Max Liebermann (1847-1935)

Jan Veth's 1904 portrait of Max Liebermann depicts the German-Jewish painter who was at the time one of Germany's most celebrated artists and a leading figure in the Berlin Secession. Liebermann's prominence made him a natural subject for portrait painters seeking distinguished sitters, and Veth — himself a significant Dutch portraitist — was well-positioned to undertake the commission. The portrait, held by the Dordrechts Museum, documents an encounter between two of the leading northern European portraitists of the period. Liebermann's own output of portraits makes him a particularly apt subject for the genre.

Veth renders Liebermann with the careful psychological observation that characterizes his best portraits. The face is modelled with attention to the specific character of a man in his mid-fifties at the height of his public prominence. His handling is controlled and precise without being academic, balancing likeness with a sense of the sitter's intellectual vitality.