Artwork

Portrait of Roelof Meulenaer (1618/19-1691), Mercantile Courier or Postmaster on the Amsterdam to Antwerp Route

Portrait of Roelof Meulenaer (1618/19-1691), Mercantile Courier or Postmaster on the Amsterdam to Antwerp Route is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Ferdinand Bol. It dates from 1650 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.

About this work

Technique & Style

Handling is restrained yet precise, with smooth transitions in the face and sharper definition in the costume to articulate status and office.

The painting is executed in oil on canvas, applying fine, layered brushwork to build luminous flesh tones and crisp detailing in the sitter’s lace collar and cuffs.

Handling is restrained yet precise, with smooth transitions in the face and sharper definition in the costume to articulate status and office. The background is softly modulated to avoid competing with the figure, and the restrained palette, dominated by warm browns, blacks, and the white of the ruff, anchors the composition in the mid-17th-century Dutch portrait tradition.

The condition appears stable, with no structural damage reported; the canvas support remains intact, and the paint layer shows only minor, localized wear consistent with age.

History & Provenance

Ferdinand Bol executed this oil-on-canvas portrait in 1650. The work depicts Roelof Meulenaer, who served as a mercantile courier or postmaster on the route between Amsterdam and Antwerp. Historical records indicate that the painting was once owned by Jacobus Salomon Hendrik van de Poll. The artwork is currently held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.

The Portrait of Roelof Meulenaer is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. The work is an oil painting on canvas created by Ferdinand Bol in 1650. It depicts a man and is classified as a portrait. The painting was previously owned by Jacobus Salomon Hendrik van de Poll.

Overview

Created around 1650 by Ferdinand Bol, a pupil of Rembrandt, this oil on canvas presents Roelof Meulenaer, a mid‑17th‑century courier and postmaster who operated between Amsterdam and Antwerp. The portrait, now part of the Rijksmuseum’s collection, exemplifies the dignified portraiture typical of the Dutch Golden Age.

Subject & Meaning

Meulenaer is shown in formal attire, a black coat, white collar, lace cuff, and silver chain, standing with one hand on his chest and the other extended. The pose and solemn expression convey the authority and reliability associated with his role in the burgeoning postal network of the Low Countries.

Context

In the mid‑17th century, the postal service was a vital component of commercial expansion between major ports such as Amsterdam and Antwerp. Portraits of couriers like Meulenaer served both as personal commemoration and as visual affirmation of the emerging infrastructure that underpinned the Dutch Republic’s economic power.