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Lot Essay
Van der Vinne most likely based this portrait of Johannes Bronkhorst (1648-1727) on a drawing by Nicolaas Verkolje (1673-1746), now in The British Museum (inv. 1920, 1116.16). Although the architectural setting and the figures surrounding the portrait medallion differ significantly, the portraits themselves are very similar. Additionally, van der Vinne copied the verse on the tablet below the portrait. Another commemorative portrait of Bronkhorst, also by Verkolje, is in a private collection (R.-J. te Rijdt, 'Nicolaas Verkolje (1673-1746)', Delineavit et Sculpsit, IV, 1990, p. 35, fig. 5). A preparatory drawing for this portrait is in the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam (P. Knolle, E. Korthals Altes, Nicolaas Verkolje 1673-1746: de fluwelen hand, exhib. cat., Enchede, Rijksmuseum Twenthe, 2011, p. 122-123, no. 28, inv. RP-T-1940-120(R)).
Johannes Bronkhorst was a pastry baker by profession, but also a very successful amateur artist. He specialized in painting and drawing plants, insects and birds. While his drawings of insects usually are scientific in nature, Bronkhorst's depictions of birds are most often set in landscapes with Classical architectural elements giving them an elegant character.
Johannes Bronkhorst was a pastry baker by profession, but also a very successful amateur artist. He specialized in painting and drawing plants, insects and birds. While his drawings of insects usually are scientific in nature, Bronkhorst's depictions of birds are most often set in landscapes with Classical architectural elements giving them an elegant character.