Where can I see Portrait of a man?

Portrait of a man is held by Rijksmuseum.

What movement is Portrait of a man?

Portrait of a man is associated with Dutch Golden Age.

Can I buy a print of Portrait of a man?

Museum-quality prints of Portrait of a man are available made-to-order from Artifact World Gallery.

Portrait of a man by Ferdinand Bol (1663)

About this work

The painting is called Portrait of a Man. It was made by Ferdinand Bol in 1663. The artist used oil paint for this work, which is now held at the Rijksmuseum.

I don't know what the man in the painting looks like or what he's wearing. The Rijksmuseum has many old paintings like this one. You can learn more about this kind of art by looking at the work of Ferdinand Bol.

Subject & Meaning

The inclusion of Apollo alludes to ideals of harmony and intellectual order, aligning the portrait with the humanist aspirations of the Dutch Golden Age.

The painting depicts a seated man with long blonde hair, a mustache, and a black skullcap, wearing a gold-colored Japanese-style banyan and a red sash draped over his left shoulder. Behind him rises a classical architectural setting of pilasters and a Corinthian column, while to the left a statue of Apollo stands as the god of rational beauty. These elements have led scholars to associate the sitter with figures emblematic of Dutch classicism, notably Jacob van Campen, Artus Quellinus, or Louis Trip, though the subject’s identity remains unconfirmed.

The inclusion of Apollo alludes to ideals of harmony and intellectual order, aligning the portrait with the humanist aspirations of the Dutch Golden Age. The classical backdrop further signals the sitter’s connection to architectural and sculptural traditions, reinforcing a vision of cultivated refinement.

Technique & Style

The painting is an oil‑on‑canvas portrait (124 cm × 100 cm) executed in 1663 by Ferdinand Bol. The work is painted on a canvas support with oil pigments, and it is signed ‘fBoL / 1663’ in the lower left corner. Its formal composition shows a man with long blonde hair, a gold‑coloured robe and a red scarf, set against architectural columns and a statue of Apollo, reflecting Dutch classicist motifs.

The piece retains its original canvas and paint layer, with later conservation limited to the replacement of a 17th‑century Italian frame by a replica made by Maarten Robert around 1995.

History & Provenance

Portrait of a Man was painted by Ferdinand Bol in 1663, as indicated by the signature and date "fBoL. / 1663." inscribed at the lower left of the canvas. The painting is not documented as a commission, and the identity of its sitter has never been established.

The earliest recorded appearance of the work is at the estate auction of Warnar Wreesman, held by the Amsterdam auction house Philippus van der Schley on 11 April 1816. It resurfaced at an anonymous sale conducted by Cornelis Sebille de Roos in Amsterdam on 16 July 1819, and by around 1821 it had entered the Amsterdam art dealership of J. de Vries. Later that same year, the painting, then identified as a portrait of Jacob van Campen, was acquired by the Rijksmuseum, where it has remained since.

The painting is held in the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, inventory number SK-C-553.

It was first recorded at the Warnar Wreesman estate sale, Amsterdam, 11 April 1816, and later offered at an anonymous sale, Amsterdam, 16 July 1819. By 1821 it was with dealer J. de Vries, Amsterdam, and in the same year entered the Rijksmuseum as a purchase.

Exhibitions include De gouden eeuw der grote steden, Sint-Pietersabdij, Ghent, 14 June–14 September 1958; The Golden Age: Highlights from the Rijksmuseum, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, 24 June–2 October 2005, Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art, Kobe, 25 October 2005–15 January 2006; Rembrandt and the Golden Age, Shanghai Museum, Shanghai, 2 November 2007–13 February 2008; Vermeer, Rembrandt and the Golden Age of Dutch Painting, Vancouver Art Gallery, Vancouver, 9 May–13 September 2009; and L'âge d'or hollandais, Pinacothèque de Paris, Paris, 7 October 2009–7 February 2010.

Context

Painted in 1663, Ferdinand Bol's Portrait of a Man is a significant example of late Dutch Golden Age portraiture held by the Rijksmuseum. The work's art-historical importance is often linked to its ambiguous subject, with scholarship proposing identities such as the architect Jacob van Campen, the sculptor Artus Quellinus, or the patron Louis Trip. These attributions rely on the background iconography, specifically the statue of Apollo and classical columns, which suggest a connection to Dutch classicism and the construction of major Amsterdam buildings like the Stadhuis and the Trippenhuis.

The painting's presentation has also evolved through scholarly intervention regarding its material context. In 1984, the Rijksmuseum determined the original 17th-century Italian frame was inappropriate for the work. Consequently, a replica Dutch Golden Age frame was commissioned around 1995, modeled after a frame from Jan de Baen's portrait of Johan de Witt, to better reflect the painting's cultural era.

Overview

Ferdinand Bol's Portrait of a Man, created in 1663, is an oil painting that exemplifies Dutch Golden Age portraiture. This work is currently housed in the collection of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, where it represents a facet of the artist's mature period. The painting offers insight into the artistic practices and conventions prevalent in the Netherlands during the mid-17th century.