Gerrard van Honthorst (1592-1689)
| Artist Name | Gerrard van Honthorst (1592-1689) |
|---|---|
| Title | Portrait of a Young Gentleman |
| Description | This superb Dutch Old Master portrait oil painting is attributed as by a follower of Dutch 17th century artist Gerrard van Honthorst. The original of this painting hangs in Wilton House, Wiltshire, home to the 18th Earl and Countess of Pembrokeshire. The painting was previously attributed to Van Dyck by early cataloguers, but after exhaustive comparisons with the two Honthorst brothers' works, it was concluded that Gerrard van Honthorst was the artist who painted the original in Wilton House. Our painting was painted circa 1695 by a follower of Gerrard Honthorst. It was sold to us as circle of Cornelius Johnson. The sitter is Prince Rupert of the Rhine, Duke of Cumberland, Earl of Holderness (1619-1682). He was an English army officer, admiral, scientist, and colonial governor. He first came to prominence as a Royalist cavalry commander during the English Civil War. Rupert was the third son of the German Prince Frederick V of the Palatinate and Elizabeth, eldest daughter of King James VI and I of Scotland and England. His portrait was also painted by Peter Lely amongst others. The painting is a bust length portrait of a Prince Rupert, wearing a grey slashed coat with a deep Van Dyck style lace collar and wide brimmed black felt hat, within a feigned oval. The detail on his lace collar is fantastic and his facial features are very sensitively portrayed, making this a rather special Dutch Old Master portrait. |
| Provenance | Sotheby's 28/5/93 lot 402. |
| Medium | Oil on Canvas |
| Size | 24 x 30 inches |
| Frame | Housed in a gallery frame, 37 inches by 31 inches and in good condition. |
| Condition | Good condition. |
| Biography | Gerard van Honthorst (Dutch: Gerrit van Honthorst; 4 November 1592 – 27 April 1656) was a Dutch Golden Age painter who became known for his depiction of artificially lit scenes, eventually receiving the nickname Gherardo delle Notti ("Gerard of the Nights"). Early in his career he visited Rome, where he had great success painting in a style influenced by Caravaggio. Following his return to the Netherlands he became a leading portrait painter. Cornelius Johnson (1593-1661) was a portrait painter born in London of Dutch parents. He was also known as Johnson or Jonson van Ceulen (Cologne). Later variants of his name include Jansen or Janssens. He most likely trained in Holland, returning to London around 1618. He was one of the foremost portrait painters in England until Van Dyck arrived in 1632. After the start of the Civil War, Jonson retired to Holland, where he died. His son had the same name was also a portrait painter. |
| Price | £18000 |
