Lot Essay
The present lot is a characteristic "conversation piece", as it developed in the 18th Century and whose major exponents were Cornelis Troost, Tibout Regters, Hieronymus Lapis and later on Wybrand Hendriks and Adriaen de Lelie. As related by A. Staring the term conversation piece was used for family group portraits with the sitters depicted small full lengths in their domestic surroundings. For inspiration, the 18th Century artists turned to 17th Century prototypes, most notably by Gonzales Coques, Gillis van Tilborch, Pieter de Hooch, Gabriel Metsu and Gerard ter Borch. The family in the present lot has not been identified, but it was probably an Amsterdam merchant, since Pothoven was the most important portraitist in that city in the second half of the 18th Century. It is probably to be dated to circa 1775 on the basis of comparison with the picture, signed and dated 1774 in the Amsterdams Historisch Museum (inv. no. A 22795). The room in which the couple is seated is probably the house's drawing room, which was situated on the bel-tage on the sunny side of the house with the view on the garden. The window is a large format sliding window, an 18th Century invention.
See illustration
See illustration