Male Portrait (Primary Title)
A Dutch Gentleman (Former Title)
Gerard Ter Borch, Dutch, 1617 - 1681 (Artist)
Gerard Ter Borch specialized in domestic interiors and small, yet intricately painted, subtle, and sophisticated portraits of well-to-do clients. The two portraits 49.11.26 and 49.11.27 of a yet unidentified—but certainly very wealthy—husband and wife were painted on expensive sheets of copper; the metal’s smooth surface allows artists to paint with meticulous detail. The combination of extreme sobriety of effect with luxuriousness is very typical of the artist and the period and certainly is meant to leave no doubt in the viewer’s mind of the sitters’ wealth and power.
Adolph D. and Wilkins C. Williams Collection
Image released via Creative Commons CC-BY-NC
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