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| Artist | Backer, Adriaen (Dutch painter, born 1635 or 1636, died 1684) |
| Previous attributions | Previously attributed to Bol, Ferdinand (Dutch history and portrait painter, 1616-1680) Previously attributed to Cuyp, Aelbert (Dutch painter and draftsman, 1620-1691) |
| Title | Portrait of a Gentleman |
| Date earliest | about 1635 |
| Date latest | about 1655 |
| Material | oil on panel |
| Measurements | 66.7 x 50.2 cm |
| Description | The unknown man is presented simply, attired in black with a lace-edged collar and set against a plain brown background. He gazes out of the picture in a straightforward manner at the viewer. Although this portrait holds no clues as to the identity of the sitter, the style of the painting and the sitter's unpretentious presentation and modest attire suggest that he was a member of the Dutch middle classes. |
| Subject | portrait (man, gentleman) |
| Collection | Holburne Museum of Art, Bath |
| Current accession number | A245 |
| Acquisition details | Bequeathed by Miss Mary Anne Barbara Holburne 1882. |
| Provenance | Sir Thomas William Holburne, by 1867-74; by descent to Mary Anne Barbara Holburne (1802-1882), 1874. |
| Principal publications | Catalogue of the Pictures and Library, Engravings, Etchings and Miniatures Belonging to Sir Thomas William Holburne, Bart., Bath, 1867, cat. no. 84, p. 4, as by Ferdinand Bol; Chaffers, W., Catalogue of the Holburne of Menstrie Art Museum Bath, London, 1887, cat. no. 1503, p. 74, as by Albert Cuyp; Moeckler, F., Holburne of Menstrie Art Museum, Bath, 1902, cat. no. 129, p. 4, as by Albert Cuyp; Catalogue, Pictures and Miniatures, I, 1927, cat. no. 102, p. 32, as by Adriaen Backer; The Holburne of Menstrie Museum, Catalogue, Pictures, I, Bath 1936, cat. no. 94, p. 34, as by Adraien Backer; Wright, C., Old Master Paintings in Britain: An Index of Continental Old Master Paintings Executed before c. 1800 in Public Collections in the United Kingdom, London, 1976, p. 7. |
| Notes | Oval panel. T. W. Holburne's seal on reverse of panel; T. W. Holburne's label on reverse of panel, fragment, inscribed in ink: ' [...]rait by / [...]. .t Cuyp'; inscribed in chalk, reverse of panel: '1509'; inscription and stencil on reverse of panel, red paint: 'H. 3376. / HOLBURNE / BATH / MUSEUM'; inscribed in pencil on reverse of frame, partially concealed: '701[...]'; inscribed in pencil on reverse of frame, partially concealed: '15...'; modern labels on reverse of panel and frame. H. A. Buttery rejected the attribution to Aelbert Cuyp and attributed A245 to the 'Dutch school', 1906; Christopher Wright attributed A245 to the School of Backer. |
| Rights status | © The Holburne Museum of Art, Bath |
| Author | Dr Susan Steer |
