Roy Precious - Antiques & Fine Art has dated this piece to the Before 1700 period.
This is a portrait of the Dutch Golden Age, the age of Rembrandt and Hals.
The gentleman, fashionably and expensively dressed, stands in a relaxed yet elegant pose; his expression serious and contemplative as he looks thoughtfully at the viewer.
In the distant background is a huge building...castle, or palace, it is not possible to tell. Clearly it was of significance to the sitter.
Bartholomeus van der Helst (1613 – 1670) was a Dutch portrait painter.
Born in Harlaam he moved to Amsterdam about 1639 where van der Helst was a contemporary of Rembrandt. He soon became the most popular painter of portraits in that city, his flattering portrayals being more immediately appealing than Rembrandt's dark and introspective later work. Some of Rembrandt's pupils, including Ferdinand Bol and Govaert Flinck, adopted Van Helst's style instead of their master's.
Van der Helst remained the most influential portrait painter of the Amsterdam elite until his death in 1670.
SIZE: canvas: 44.5 x 36.5 inches.
frame: 51 x 43 inches.
Roy Precious - Antiques & Fine Art has dated this piece to the Before 1700 period.
Roy and nadine precious: specialists in portraiture from the 16th to the 20th century. Established in 1972.
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Portrait of a Gentleman C.1660; Circle of Bartholomeus Van Der Helst.
