| Artist | |
|---|---|
| Culture | Netherlandish |
| Date | 1657 |
| Object type | painting |
| Medium, technique | oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 135.8 x 119 cm |
| Signature | Signed and dated lower left: B. vander helst. f. 1657 |
| Inventory number | 4316 |
| Collection | Old Master Paintings |
| On view | Museum of Fine Arts, First Floor, European Art 1600–1700 and British Painting 1600–1800, Gallery XI |
Van der Helst was a fashionable portraitist of the Dutch upper and wealthy middle classes. Having profited from the art of Frans Hals and Rembrandt, he developed a realistic, yet decorative portrait style. Besides capturing the character, he also paid attention to the outward appearances, and intensified the painterly effect by painting accessories with virtuosity. This portrait was commissioned by Gideon de Wildt, who subsequently became a rear admiral of the Dutch fleet. The seascape detail in the background was probably painted by Willem van de Velde the Younger. This picture’s companion piece, depicting Gideon de Wildt’s wife, is in the Lyon museum.
Ildikó Ember
Pigler, Andor, Katalog der Galerie Alter Meister, 1-2. Museum der Bildenden Künste, Szépművészeti Múzeum, Budapest. 2, Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest, 1967, p. 307.
This record is subject to revision due to ongoing research.
