Artwork

Huibert Gerard Baron Nahuys van Burgst (1782-1858). Lid van de Raad van Nederlands Oost Indië, in het uniform van generaal-majoor titulair

Huibert Gerard Baron Nahuys van Burgst (1782-1858). Lid van de Raad van Nederlands Oost Indië, in het uniform van generaal-majoor titulair is an oil painting by the Realist artist Bastiaan de Poorter. It dates from 1852 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.

About this work

Subject & Meaning

Combined with the formal uniform, this gesture reinforces the image's emphasis on dignity and disciplined command rather than personal informality.

The portrait depicts Huibert Gerard Baron Nahuys van Burgst in his role as a member of the Council of the Netherlands East Indies (Raad van Nederlands Oost Indië), shown wearing the uniform of a titular major general (generaal-majoor titulair). The title thus frames the sitter through both his colonial-administrative office and his honorary military rank, presenting him as a statesman of standing within the Dutch imperial apparatus.

A specific iconographic element recorded for the work is the hand-in-waistcoat pose, a longstanding convention in European portraiture associated with self-possession, restraint, and gentlemanly authority. Combined with the formal uniform, this gesture reinforces the image's emphasis on dignity and disciplined command rather than personal informality.

Technique & Style

The portrait is executed in oil paint on panel, a support consistent with Bastiaan de Poorter's portrait practice of the period. The relatively modest dimensions of 31.3 by 23 cm indicate an intimate cabinet-format work, suited to a formal sitter portrait rather than a large ceremonial commission.

Stylistically, the painting adheres to the conventions of mid-nineteenth-century official portraiture: the subject is shown in the conventional hand-in-waistcoat pose, a gesture long associated with dignified, statesmanlike bearing. The composition pairs this restrained pose with the formal trappings of rank, depicting Nahuys van Burgst in his uniform as titular general-majoor while serving on the Council of the Netherlands East Indies. The handling reflects the polished, descriptive finish typical of De Poorter's commissioned portraits, with attention directed toward the accurate rendering of insignia and uniform details rather than painterly bravura.

History & Provenance

The portrait was painted in 1852 by Bastiaan de Poorter, rendered in oil on panel. It depicts Huibert Gerard Baron Nahuys van Burgst in a hand‑in‑waistcoat pose, wearing the uniform of a titular major‑general, and measures 31.3 cm high by 23 cm wide.

The work entered the Rijksmuseum collection, where it is currently housed. No further information about an earlier ownership chain, specific commission, or subsequent provenance is provided in the available sources.

The painting is held by the Rijksmuseum, as indicated by both its collection and location records. According to the Wikidata entry, the work is catalogued within the museum's holdings as a portrait painted in oil on panel, measuring 31.3 cm in height by 23 cm in width.

No specific inventory or accession number is provided in the available sources, and no exhibition history is documented.

Overview

The oil portrait, executed in 1852 by Dutch painter Bastiaan de Poorter, presents Huibert Gerard Baron Nahuys van Burgst (1782–1858), a member of the Council of the Dutch East Indies. Rendered in a formal, three‑quarter view, the work is part of the Rijksmuseum’s collection and exemplifies mid‑nineteenth‑century portraiture of colonial officials.