Artwork
Portrait of Cornelis Fransz Eversdijck (1586-1666)
Portrait of Cornelis Fransz Eversdijck (1586-1666) is an unspecified painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Willem Eversdijck. It dates from 1655 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
About this work
The man was a mathematician and accountant from Zeeland, his job was to keep the books for the province.
You see a man in a dark coat, his face half-lit, staring slightly to the side. His collar is crisp white, and the background is plain brown.
This painting was made around 1655, but no one knows who painted it. The man was a mathematician and accountant from Zeeland, his job was to keep the books for the province. The artist didn’t sign it, so it’s just labeled "unknown" in the museum.
Look up the Rijksmuseum to see more portraits like this one.
Technique & Style
The work is an oil painting on canvas created circa 1655. Willem Eversdijck rendered the likeness with fine brushwork, emphasizing the sitter’s sober attire and precise facial features typical of Dutch Golden Age portraiture. The canvas remains in stable condition, showing only minor craquelure across the background, and the surface retains its original handling marks from 17th-century framing practices.
History & Provenance
The portrait of Cornelis Fransz Eversdijck was executed by his son, Willem Eversdijck, around 1655. Willem, who was born in Goes between 1616 and 1620 and later became a member of the Middelburg Guild of St. Luke in 1652, created this work depicting his father, a mathematician and official who died in 1649. The painting is currently held by the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, having been acquired by the institution through a public sale in Paris in 1950, although this specific sale date refers to a different allegorical work by the artist in the same collection.
Overview
This portrait depicts Cornelis Fransz Eversdijck, a mathematician and accountant from Zeeland, rendered in a formal, bust-length format within an oval frame, created circa 1655 by an unknown artist.
Subject & Meaning
Eversdijck, a provincial record-keeper, is portrayed with understated dignity, his focused gaze slightly averted, conveying a sense of quiet professionalism rather than overt personal character.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Willem Eversdijck (c. 1620-1671) was a Dutch Golden Age painter. He was the son of Cornelis Eversdijck and flourished at Goes about the year 1660. He is known for portraits and several of these were engraved by…
