3230
Wilt, Thomas van der studio or circle of
1659 Piershil - 1733 Delft.
Portrait of a gentleman in a brocade cloak.
Oil on canvas, relined. Unsigned.
H 51,5, W 43,5 cm (support). Framed.
A proud, wealthy gentleman poses in this portrait in a heavy, black and gold brocade robe with a shiny red silk lining. His impressively shimmering garment sits wide and loose over a white shirt with cuffs and collar of filigree lace. Clearly, no expense or effort was spared in either the quantity or the refined quality of the fabrics. A voluminous, curly human hair wig completes the refined appearance of the aesthete. Little is revealed of his surroundings; only a green curtain with a cord and a tassel, perhaps concealing the entrance to an alcove, and an emerald green velvet fabric with gold-interwoven fringes draped on a table define the simply reduced but extremely luxurious ambience. It is presumably a wealthy merchant or high-ranking politician of a Dutch city republic. Possibly the depiction of the exuberant abundance of outrageously precious textiles and the brilliantly displayed surface qualities of these fabrics, which the painter from the circle of Thomas van der Wilt knew how to depict skilfully, can even be assumed to be the staging of a self-confident cloth merchant in need of representation.
We would like to thank Dr. Betsy Wieseman, Curator and Head of the Department of Northern European Paintings, National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C., for the scientific consultation via E-Mail, based on photos, 13.07.2021.
Provenance: private collection Frankfurt a.M. and Baden-Baden.

Condition report