‘Tronie’ in dutch painting of the XVII Century

The purpose of this study is to conduct a comprehensive analysis by identifying the formal similarities and functional differences between “Tronie” painting and portrait painting that emerged in Dutch Golden Age painting of the XVII century. The aspects of Tronie painting that deviate from the standard understanding of portraiture are not easy to determine, as it has broad significance in its own genre. It has been misinterpreted by scholars due to the stylistic similarities it exhibits in research, and the form-content structure has been analyzed and clarified with recent studies. Our study has shown that Tronie painting, although formally similar to portraiture and other genre paintings, is a distinct genre in which artists clearly show their technical mastery; it is grouped within itself and reflected in other genre paintings of the period. The findings obtained through the analyzes we have made have confirmed the hypothesis that Tronie painting is an independent genre, showing its adherence to the painting tradition. It occupies an important place in the process of development of the history of painting, as it enriches portrait painting through the experimental (empirical) basis it provides to painters.