Portrait of Aernout van Overbeke, Explorer and Poet

The painting was created in 1750 by Jan Maurits Quinkhard on copper, depicting the explorer and poet Aernout van Overbeke. It entered the collection of the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, where it remains on display.

The work was commissioned to portray van Overbeke, reflecting his status as both explorer and literary figure. Its dimensions measure 11 cm in height by 9.5 cm in width.

The painting's provenance traces directly to the Rijksmuseum, which has held it since its acquisition, maintaining continuous ownership from its creation to the present.

The Portrait of Aernout van Overbeke, Explorer and Poet is housed in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam under inventory number SK-A-2840. Executed in 1750 on copper, the work measures 11 cm by 9.5 cm and is classified as a portrait within the museum's collection. It has been featured in exhibitions at the Rijksmuseum, though specific exhibition titles are not detailed in the available records.

Jan Maurits Quinkhard painted Portrait of Aernout van Overbeke, Explorer and Poet in 1750 as an oil-on-copper portrait now held by the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam. The work depicts the Dutch explorer and poet Aernout van Overbeke, reflecting Enlightenment-era fascination with maritime discovery and polymathic identity. Its creation during the height of Dutch colonial maritime activity situates it within broader 18th-century European portraiture that celebrated scientific and literary figures through formalized poses and symbolic attributes.

Around 1750 Jan Maurits Quinkhard, a Dutch painter and print designer active in the 18th century, executed an oval portrait of the writer‑explorer Aernout van Overbeke on a copper plate. The work reflects the Rococo taste of its time and is now part of the Rijksmuseum’s collection.