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Portrait Painted in 1632
As is shown in the upper right hand corner of this portrait, it was painted in 1632, when the
gentleman in the picture turned 36. More research has shown that it was most likely
painted by Ferdinand Bol when he was a student of (Paul) Rembrandt's (Rembrandt's full name is
"Rembrandt Harmensz van Rijn", but his familar, or what his friends would call him is Paul). Ferdinand
Bol would have been 16 at the time and is mentioned on the first line of the linen
paper on the back of
the painting (you can see 'Ferd(the 'inand' is missing) Bol'. You can also see
Paul Rembrandt's name further down on the paper. I soon hope to be able to have the rest of the text
on the paper properly translated, which might shed some more light on the origin of the painting.
The portrait is painted on wood, as is typical of Dutch paintings of
that period. But Ferdinand Bol was known to have painted on canvas, as his teacher Rembrandt van Rijn
did. But while Ferdinand Bol was still a student of Rembrandt's, as he was for another 10 years or
until 1642 when he became an independant Master, he would have been using a less expensive and more common media, such as wood, for his
paintings. Also, as he was Rembrandt's student, he would also have most likely have copied one of
Rembrandt's paintings, but I have yet to find this particular painting yet. It is of course possible
that this portariat was an original of Ferdinand Bol's. Rembrandt was ~10 years older than Bol and
lived from 1606-1669.
The painting measures 44" tall, by 36" wide, by 3" deep, and the frame is roughly 4" in width.
Bibliographical data about Ferdinand Bol:
Born 1616, Died 1680
Dutch Draftsman, Painter, & Printmaker
Ferdinand Bol was baptised on 24 June 1616 in Dordrecht, he moved when young to Amsterdam where he was
the pupil of Rembrandt. Copies by him of the master's works were being sold in the 1630s, and in 1640
he witnessed a Rembrandt document. Principally a portrait painter, he also painted (and etched) genre
scenes in the Rembrandt manner. His earliest dated work is of 1642, and his many important commissions
included historical works for the new Amsterdam Town Hall. Kneller appears to have been his pupil in
the late 1660s. Bol's last dated work is of 1669, the date of his second marriage to a rich widow. He
was buried in Amsterdam on 24 Ju1y 1680.
A prosperous surgeon's son, Ferdinand Bol first studied locally in his native Dordrecht, then became
Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn's pupil in Amsterdam, where he settled. Bol witnessed a document
concerning Rembrandt's wife Saskia's inheritance in 1640, a responsibility that suggests that by then
Bol was probably no longer a student but a full-fledged assistant.
After having risen quickly through the ranks in Rembrandt's highly productive studio, Bol established
himself as an independent master around 1642 at the age of 26. He imitated Rembrandt's style so closely that some works
were mistaken for Rembrandt's for centuries afterward. Though his style changed, throughout his career
Bol painted the same subjects as Rembrandt: histories, portraits, often with sitters posed by a window,
and exotically costumed single figures.
Around 1650 Bol's taste drifted to more "modern" trends: his palette lightened, and his figures grew
more noble and elegant. No other painter in Amsterdam equaled him in receiving official commissions;
his 1653 marriage to a woman from an influential family undoubtedly helped. Among Bol's most important
works were classicizing Baroque paintings of historical subjects for Amsterdam's new Town Hall. After
marrying a wealthy widow in 1669, he gave up painting.
Additional Bibliographic Information About Ferdinand Bol:
As a child, moved with parents to Amsterdam. Studied under Rembrandt. Of all of Rembrandt's pupils,
Bol is certainly the one on which he had the most direct influence. This influence is apparent less in
Bol's paintings than in his etchings, which are sometimes mis-identified as Rembrandt's. Bol's etchings
are extremely expressive, often spiritual, and executed in a bold and free manner. His compositions
are studied and yet natural, and light and shadow are very judiciously managed.
Other dates?: born 1610, baptized 6/24/1616 (most sources have Bol as being born in 1616, but I
wanted to include this one also as I am still uncertain as to why his birth date and his baptismal
date are being confused), buried 7/24/1680~~C-1
Reference: Hollsein, vol.III, p. 15 ff.~
Bibliographical data about Ferdinand Bol's teacher, Rembrandt Harmensz van Rijn:
Rembrandt Harmensz van Rijn
Born 1606, Died 1669
Dutch Painter, Draftsman, Engraver
Born to a miller and a baker's daughter, it was said that Rembrandt van Rijn was made of "a different
flour." Despite his ambitions, he never visited Italy. After studying locally, he apprenticed with
Pieter Lastman in Amsterdam. Lastman imparted to Rembrandt his taste for religious and allegorical
subjects and exposed him to Caravaggio's stylistic lessons. But the more profound aspect of Rembrandt's
art, the compassion and sympathy for humanity, was Rembrandt's own, present in his sharp, early Baroque
style and in his later pictorial symphonies of texture, gesture, and quiet drama.
Returning to Leyden around 1624, Rembrandt worked independently and collaborated with Jan Lievensz. He
painted varied subjects, including many self-portraits. Around 1631, he moved to Amsterdam, becoming
its leading painter and a wealthy man. He began using canvas rather than panel, experimented with
paints of different fluidities, and explored etching.
His wife's death in 1642 roughly coincided with Bartholomeus van der Helst's introduction of Anthony
van Dyck's more ostentatious style, which suited public taste more than Rembrandt's introspection.
Refusing to adapt his style to prevailing fashion and nearly bankrupt, Rembrandt moved to a poor
section of town with his mistress, Hendrickje Stoffels, and his only living child, Titus, in 1656.
Having survived both Hendrickje and Titus, Rembrandt died poor and alone. The pupils of this inspiring
teacher included Gerrit Dou, Aert de Gelder, Govaert Flinck, and Nicolaes Maes.
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