Johannes Cornelisz. Verspronck Haarlem 1606/9-1662

Portrait of Jean le Gouche, dated 1634, is among Verspronck's earliest works and already displays the sensitive characterization and fine brushwork for which he would become known. The sitter is among Haarlem's merchant elite, a group that, together with the Calvinist patriarchy and well-to-do Catholics, Verspronck would serve throughout his career. The artist's command of texture and color is already formidable and can be seen in his description of the sitter's lace collar, the edge of which is turned up slightly on the right to enliven the area in shadow. The thickness of the lace is contrasted with the translucency of the fabric at his neck and the delicacy of the white ties and fine brocade buttonholes running up his sleeve display an attention to visual detail that also suggests something about the sitter's status. This is a painter who, in his first year of independent work, is in total command of his craft.

Jean le Gouche (1588-1669) was a merchant from Antwerp who lived in Haarlem in 1634. He moved to Amsterdam the following year where he married Weyntge van Neck and worked for the East India Company, becoming a commander in the firm in 1647. Merchants involved in the East India trade were among the wealthiest men in cities such as Haarlem and Amsterdam in the 1630s and many, like le Gouche, came from the southern Netherlands. Indeed, a number of the most important initial investors in the Amsterdam chamber of the VOC were refugees from Antwerp and immigrant merchants continued to play a significant role in the company.

Only four paintings by Verspronck are known from 1634, three portraits of men and one of a boy, all placed against neutral backgrounds and facing to the right. All four are half-length in format and in each case Verspronck includes an arm or a hand within the composition for their expressive capacity and to generate visual interest. Le Gouche's gesture of holding a pair of gloves in his right hand derives from the works of Frans Hals (see, for example, his Portrait of a Man, c. 1630, in the Frick Collection) and is repeated in another of the 1634 portraits. Compositionally, it is more successful than his solutions for the other two sitters, as the arm held in front of the body gently frames le Gouche and allows for the depiction of the fabrics and decorative details of the sleeve.

Verspronck first studied with his father, the painter Cornelis Engelsz., and may also have spent time in Frans Hals' studio before entering the Haarlem Guild of St. Luke together with his brother in 1632. Most of his sitters were Haarlem citizens or people who were related in some way to the city, where he seems to have worked exclusively. Verspronck did well financially, owning a number of properties in the city, but was never involved in the governing of the Guild of St. Luke. Of the 100 paintings attributed to him most are portraits, with the exception of a few genre scenes and a single still life.

Saleroom Notice

Please note that the present painting is not signed, but is dated "ANo 1634" (center right).

Pre-Lot Text

PROPERTY FROM THE COLLECTION OF JACQUES GOUDSTIKKER