Amsterdam School, early 17th century

Acquired by the present owner in the 1980s.

The picture is slightly less red in the face and lighter in tone than the catalogue illustration would suggest but otherwise just as fresh and vivid. The canvas has been lined and the paint surface is in very good overall condition with no apparent damage or loss of paint except for a tiny pin hole in the background above his head only visible under raking light upon close inspection. Otherwise there is a discoloured varnish and the lining edges are slightly visible uner the frame. Examinaion under ultraviolet reveals scattered retouchings in the background and costume, all cosmetic, and to a much lesser extent the face. There is also some strengthening in the table otherwise the picture is in good ready to hang condition. Offered in a carved black wood Dutch style frame in good overall condition.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

In this striking portrait a well-off gentleman stands confidently before a table set with a very delicate device known as an 'assay balance'. In his right hand he holds an ornamented pair of tweezers in which he lifts a nugget of precious metal from a small round dish. He places his left hand in the pocket of his cassock (of Spanish design though worn throughout Continental Europe) made of black silk. He wears a shirt with a very rare example of a starched double collar, a type that was out of fashion by 1615 and which was predominantly seen in The Hague, though occasionally in Amsterdam. The small cuffs, tight sleeves and horizontal belt agree with a dating to about 1615, as do the matching shoulder wings that are a little narrower than those worn by Jean Sandra in Cornelis van der Voort’s portrait of that year.¹  The gentleman’s face is slightly tanned, suggesting he has recently returned from abroad, perhaps in the search of the precious objects now before him. His countenance is animated by short blond, curly hair and a fine blond beard covers only the contours of his jaw and chin. He looks a man happy with his lot.

The sitter seems to be either a merchant in gold or silver or an essayeur. We know of one essayeur employed by the three directors of the Amsterdam Wisselbank, immediately following its foundation in 1609, to establish the gold or silver content of the money. Commonly the assay balance was used by the essayeur to precisely weigh the ‘buttons’ of gold, silver or other precious metal that remained after fire assaying a certain amount of ore. The button of precious metal would then be weighed very accurately, the very ornate lifting mechanism working by means of a counterpoise (in the form of a lion).²

In any case, this portrait clearly shows a well-dressed and well-off gentleman who has acquired his wealth through some part of the process of locating, extracting, mining, refining, measuring or selling rare and precious metals. The portrait is beautifully illustrative of the economically buoyant times enjoyed by the low countries in the early 17^th century. These had begun with the mass migration of protestant skilled craftsmen and rich merchants to the northern provinces following the Surrender of Antwerp in 1585 and continued through a flowering of the sciences, arts and industry and, particularly, foreign trade which rose exponentially through the 17^th century following the establishment of the Dutch East India Company in 1602, the first ever multi-national company and one that monopolised trade with the Far East for over two centuries.

The painting has been likened to the work of several artists working in and around The Hague and Amsterdam in the 1610s and 1620s but a firm attribution has thus far been frustratingly elusive. It does however have much in common with the early portraits of the young Thomas de Keyser, to whom an attribution may be considered. De Keyser in fact had close connections with the silversmith’s guild in Amsterdam making a link with him all the more palatable.

1. We are very grateful to Marieke Winkel with her help in identifying and dating the various components of the costume. She believes the standing collar (band) was worn from 1605-15.

2. For more information see J.M. Shannon & G.C. Shannon, The Assay Balance, Its Evolution and the
Histories of the Companies That Made Them, Lakewood, CO 1999.