Dutch School 17th Century

Essay:

It has not been possible so far to attribute with any certainty the artist responsible for this very attractive and finely painted portrait of a boy. For many years it has been attributed to Aelbert Cuyp which is not tenable, but it is evidently by an artist working in his circle. The square lace collar helps to date the work to the mid-17th century.

This soberly dressed boy holds a cane, a typically male accessory, and is presented to us as a well-mannered young man rather than a child. He is perhaps seven or eight years old and is wearing the rich yet simple clothes of a respectable Dutch man. The lack of toys or a more colourful outfit is evidence of the fact that childhood is fast vanishing behind him. His confident posture with feet crossed, hand on hip and cane pointing to the side is the typical stance of full-grown men in portraits of the same period. The dark background behind him is interrupted only by a square stone column, another symbol of discipline, masculinity and learning.

Provenance:

Collection of Consul General Karl Bergsten (1869- 1953), Stockholm;
By family descent to the previous owner

Literature:

Catalogue de la Collection de M & Mme Karl Bergsten, Vol. I, Stockholm 1926, no. 11.

Exhibitions:

Catalogue de la Collection de M & Mme Karl Bergsten, Vol. I, Stockholm 1926, no. 11.