What movement is Portrait of Jacob Lescailje, Bookdealer and Poet in Amsterdam?

Portrait of Jacob Lescailje, Bookdealer and Poet in Amsterdam is associated with Rococo painting.

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Museum-quality prints of Portrait of Jacob Lescailje, Bookdealer and Poet in Amsterdam are available made-to-order from Artifact World Gallery.

Artwork

Portrait of Jacob Lescailje, Bookdealer and Poet in Amsterdam

Jan Maurits Quinkhard , 1750

Portrait of Jacob Lescailje, Bookdealer and Poet in Amsterdam is an oil painting by the Rococo painting artist Jan Maurits Quinkhard. It dates from 1750 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.

About this work

Technique & Style

As a painted portrait, the piece focuses on the depiction of Jacob Lescailje, a bookdealer and poet based in Amsterdam.

Executed in 1750 by Jan Maurits Quinkhard, this portrait utilizes oil paint applied to a copper support. The work is characterized by its compact dimensions, measuring 11 cm in height and 9.5 cm in width. As a painted portrait, the piece focuses on the depiction of Jacob Lescailje, a bookdealer and poet based in Amsterdam.

The choice of copper as a substrate suggests a desire for a smooth, durable surface capable of holding fine detail, a technique occasionally employed for small-scale works during this period. The painting is currently held within the collections of major Amsterdam institutions.

History & Provenance

The portrait was painted in 1750 by Jan Maurits Quinkhard, using oil on copper to depict the Amsterdam bookdealer and poet Jacob Lescailje. According to the sources, the work is now part of the collections of the Rijksmuseum and the Amsterdam Museum, though no earlier ownership or commission details are recorded in the provided material.

Context

Jan Maurits Quinkhard painted Portrait of Jacob Lescailje, Bookdealer and Poet in Amsterdam in 1750, a work documented in the Rijksmuseum and Amsterdam Museum collections. The painting, executed on copper, was categorized as a portrait genre piece depicting Jacob Lescaille, reflecting the era's emphasis on individual intellectual and commercial figures. Scholarship situates this portrait within Quinkhard's broader output of 18th-century Dutch portraiture, where he rendered subjects engaged in scholarly or mercantile pursuits, often for civic or private patronage. Its creation aligns with Amsterdam's cultural milieu of bookdealers and poets, highlighting the city's mercantile elite interests.

Legacy

The portrait of Jacob Lescailje, Bookdealer and Poet in Amsterdam, painted by Jan Maurits Quinkhard in 1750 on copper, has been part of the Rijksmuseum and Amsterdam Museum collections since its acquisition. Its inclusion in these institutions has ensured continued public access and scholarly attention to Quinkhard’s work. The painting’s genre as a portrait and its material composition in oil on copper reflect typical 18th-century Dutch portraiture practices.

Its preservation and display have contributed to the historical record of Amsterdam’s cultural figures, maintaining the subject’s visibility in art historical narratives. The work remains studied in the context of Dutch Golden Age portraiture, though specific later influence on artistic movements is not documented in the provided sources.

Overview

Created circa 1750 by the Dutch artist Jan Maurits Quinkhard, this oval portrait presents Jacob Lescailje, a prominent Amsterdam bookdealer and poet. Executed on a copper plate, the image measures a modest size and is part of the Rijksmuseum’s collection. The composition centers on the sitter’s face, set against a dark, unadorned background that emphasizes his features.

Subject & Meaning

Jacob Lescailje is shown with light, curled hair and a neatly trimmed beard, dressed in a dark, high‑collared coat over a lighter shirt. His expression is sober and his gaze steady, reflecting the dignified bearing expected of a learned merchant and literary figure in mid‑18th‑century Amsterdam.