Jan Miense Molenaer is best known for his genre scenes and compositions of elegant groupings often referred to as “merry companies.” He spent most of his life in Haarlem, and in 1636 married painter Judith Leyster. This unusual full-length portrait depicts an elegant man gesturing as if in reference to a pendant painting. Paired marriage portraits were often interrelated in this manner. The husband and wife would face one another across the picture frame, and a subtle gesture such as this would confirm their bond.
Details
- Artist Name: Jan Miense Molenaer (Dutch, c. 1610-1668)
- Title: Portrait of a Gentleman
- Date: late 1630s
- Medium: Oil on panel
- Dimensions: 33 x 23 in. (83.8 x 58.4 cm)
- Credit Line: The Norton Simon Foundation
- Accession Number: F.1972.52.P
- Copyright: © The Norton Simon Foundation
Object Information
Marie-Laure Henriette Bischoffsheim, Vicomtesse de Noailles (1902-1970), Paris, still in 1947.
[Galerie Victor Mandl, Paris, by February, 1950, when consigned (as “Dutch, 17th century”) to];
[Pieter de Boer, Amsterdam (as “Thomas de Keyser”); returned to];
[Galerie Victor Mandl, Paris].
[Wildenstein, Paris, in 1963].
[Galeries Les Tourettes, Basel/Dr. Otto and Anne Wertheimer (as “Molenaer”), consigned June 1972 to];
[Schaeffer Galleries, Inc., New York, stock no. 2709, sold 26 January 1973 to];
The Norton Simon Foundation.
Retrospective exhibition of paintings owned by Belgian collectors
- Brussels, 1886 to
[on loan]
- Fogg Art Museum, 1972-11-30 to 1974-12-04
Encountering the Dutch Likeness: Portraiture in 17th Century Holland
- Norton Simon Museum, 1993-09-02 to 1996
Six Centuries of Portraiture from the Permanent Collection
- Norton Simon Museum, 1989-11-02 to 1990-12-16
- Sutton, Peter C., A Guide to Dutch Art in America, 1986, p. 313
- Weller, Dennis P., Jan Miense Molenaer: Painter of the Dutch Golden Age, 2002, fig. 3 p. 93
- Campbell, Sara, Collector Without Walls: Norton Simon and His Hunt for the Best, 2010, cat. 892 p. 349
Image reproduction permission may be granted for scholarly or arts related commercial use. All image requests, regardless of their intended purpose, should be submitted via the reproduction request form.
Images may be protected by copyright and other intellectual property rights. Additional permission may be required.
Approved requests for the reproduction of an image will receive a contract detailing all fees and conditions of use of the image. Upon receipt of both the signed contract and full payment, the Office of Rights and Reproductions will provide the image. A complimentary copy of the published material must be provided to the Norton Simon Museum.