Artwork
Portrait of Lubbert Gerritsz (1535-1612)
Portrait of Lubbert Gerritsz (1535-1612) is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Michiel Jansz van Mierevelt. It dates from 1607 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The work functions as both a record of individual identity and a visual representation of the Dutch Republic's mercantile prosperity during its Golden Age.
The portrait depicts Lubbert Gerritsz, a prominent Amsterdam merchant and regent, rendered in the characteristic style of Michiel Jansz van Mierevelt's courtly portraiture. The composition emphasizes his status through formal attire and direct engagement with the viewer, reflecting the importance of civic identity among wealthy burghers in early 17th-century Amsterdam. The work functions as both a record of individual identity and a visual representation of the Dutch Republic's mercantile prosperity during its Golden Age.
The subject's portrayal aligns with contemporary portrait conventions that conveyed social standing and professional affiliation within the urban elite.
Technique & Style
The portrait was executed in oil paint on a wooden panel. It measures 22.8 cm in height and 22.5 cm in width. The work depicts Lubbert Gerritsz and was created in 1607. It belongs to the portrait genre and is classified as a painting.
History & Provenance
The portrait of Lubbert Gerritsz was created in 1607 by Michiel Jansz van Mierevelt, executed in oil paint on panel. The work was produced as a portrait of the sitter, Lubbert Gerritsz (1535–1612), and entered the collections of the Rijksmuseum and the Amsterdam Museum, where it is held today.
No information on the original commissioner, intermediate ownership, or specific chain of custody between the 1607 creation and the museum holdings is documented in the available sources.
Overview
Michiel Jansz van Mierevelt painted this oil-on-panel portrait in 1607, representing Lubbert Gerritsz, who lived from 1535 to 1612. The work is part of the Rijksmuseum’s collection and exemplifies the Dutch Golden Age’s focus on realistic, dignified portraiture.
Context
During the Dutch Golden Age, portraiture served both as a record of individual achievement and as a visual assertion of civic identity. Miérevelt, a leading court painter, frequently depicted officials and merchants, situating this work within a broader tradition of documenting the emerging bourgeois class.
Artist & collection
Artist
Michiel Janszoon (abbr. Jansz.) van Mierevelt (Dutch pronunciation:; also spelled Miereveld or Miereveldt; 1 May 1566 – 27 June 1641) was a Dutch painter and draftsman of the Dutch Golden Age.
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