In this double portrait of father and son, de Keyser emphasizes the former's role as parent. The rhetorical gestures of the two figures suggest that the painting originally hung with a pendant. Following convention, the pendant would have portrayed the female members of the family with corresponding gestures. The coat of arms above the door identifies the subjects as the merchant Dirk van der Wessel and his seven-year-old son, Jacob.
As a portraitist, de Keyser astutely transformed the monumental scale of court portraiture into the small cabinet painting, appropriate for Dutch homes. He retained, however, the important attributes attached to the tradition of court portraiture, such as the full-length format of the sitters. His skillful descriptions of the silk and satin costumes, the walls of the room, covered with costly gilt leather and the rich cushions on the chair indicate the subjects' wealth and high social position.
Details
- Artist Name: Thomas de Keyser (Dutch, 1596/7-1667)
- Title: Dirck Van Der Wissel and His Son Jacob (Portrait of a Gentleman and His Son)
- Date: 1631
- Medium: Oil on panel
- Dimensions: 25-1/8 x 19-1/4 in. (63.8 x 48.9 cm)
- Credit Line: The Norton Simon Foundation
- Accession Number: F.1968.11.09.P
- Copyright: © The Norton Simon Foundation
Object Information
(London, Sotheby's, 21 October 1942, lot 92, ill., for £780 to);
[W. Duits, London, stock number 7516, sold 6 October 1943 for £980 to];
[Frost and Reed, London].
John C. Myer, Jr., Ashland Ohio, sold February, 1955 to;
[Newhouse Galleries, New York, stock no. 15614, sold 11 February 1957 to];
Morris I. Kaplan, Chicago (Sotheby's, London, 12 June 1968, lot 58, ill., for £6,500 to);
A.K. Armytage) to;
The Norton Simon Foundation.
[on loan]
- Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1969-07-16 to 1974-11-26
- Adams, Ann Jensen, The Paintings of Thomas de Keyser (1596/7-1667): A Study of Portraiture in 17th Century Amsterdam,no. 35 pp. 255-260; pp. 65-67
- Petit Palais, Le siècle de Rembrandt hollandaise des collections publiques françaises, p. 120
- Bénézit, E., Dictionnaire critique documentaire des peintres, sculpteurs, dessinateurs et graveurs, p. 206
- Masterpieces from the Norton Simon Museum,1989, p. 76
- Sutton, Peter C., A Guide to Dutch Art in America, pp. 216, 312
- Campbell, Sara, Collector Without Walls: Norton Simon and His Hunt for the Best,2010, cat. 474 p. 302
- Selected Paintings at the Norton Simon Museum Pasadena, California, p. 52
- Art at Auction: The Year at Sotheby's and Parke-Bernet, 1967-68, p. 39
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