Artwork
Gerhard van Suchtelen
Gerhard van Suchtelen is an oil painting by the Baroque artist Gerard ter Borch. It dates from 1666 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
- Inscription
- Inscribed:reverse under the lining: No. 5 / Gerhard van Suchtelen / Burgermeister der Stad / Deventer Soon van / Abraham van Suchtelen / Getekend met / No. 3 (No. 5 / Gerhard van Suchtelen / Burgomaster of the city / Deventer Son of / Abraham van Suchtelen / Drawn with No. 3)
About this work
Technique & Style
The painting’s handling demonstrates a smooth application of pigment, producing a luminous surface that emphasizes the sitter’s presence.
The portrait Gerhard van Suchtelen is executed in oil on canvas, a support typical of 17th‑century Dutch painting. According to the provenance record, the work is rendered in oil paint and was created in 1666, measuring 80.7 cm in height by 63.8 cm in width. The composition follows the formal conventions of portraiture, with a restrained palette and meticulous attention to facial detail that reflects Gerard ter Borch the Younger’s characteristic blend of realism and subtle chiaroscuro.
The painting’s handling demonstrates a smooth application of pigment, producing a luminous surface that emphasizes the sitter’s presence. Its condition remains stable within the National Gallery of Art’s collection.
History & Provenance
The painting entered the record in 1882 with London collector E. H. Fahey, followed two years later by William Frederick Barton Massey Mainwaring. By 1906 it was in the possession of Sir George Donaldson and was sold that year in London. It next belonged to William A. Clark in New York and, upon his death in 1925, was bequeathed to the Corcoran Gallery of Art in 1926. The Corcoran transferred the work to the National Gallery of Art, Washington, in 2014.
The work is dated 1666, aligning with the period of Gerard ter Borch the Younger’s mature production.
Gerhard van Suchtelen is currently held by the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., having been acquired by the institution in 2014. Prior to this transfer, the painting resided in the Corcoran Gallery of Art, where it was established as a bequest from William A. Clark in 1926. The work's provenance traces back to London collections, including those of E.H. Fahey in 1882 and William Frederick Barton Massey Mainwaring in 1884, before passing to Sir George Donaldson.
It was sold at a London auction in 1906 before entering the Clark collection in New York. The source material does not record any specific exhibition history for the painting.
Overview
This oil on canvas painting, titled Gerhard van Suchtelen, was created around 1666 by the Dutch artist Gerard ter Borch the Younger. The work presents a full-length portrait of a man, likely the titular Gerhard van Suchtelen, positioned within an interior setting. He is depicted in formal attire, characteristic of the mid-17th century, standing composedly beside a table and chair.
Subject & Meaning
The sitter, Gerhard van Suchtelen, is portrayed with long brown hair, dressed in a dark cape over a white shirt, reflecting the fashionable menswear of the period. He stands within a domestic space, indicated by the presence of a chair and a table, upon which a hat rests. The furnishings, including the fringed tablecloth and chair, suggest a degree of refinement and status, typical of the subjects commissioned for such portraits in the Dutch Golden Age.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Gerard ter Borch (Dutch:; December 1617 – 8 December 1681), also known as Gerard Terburg (Dutch: ), was a Dutch Golden Age painter mainly of genre subjects.
