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拍品專文
This hitherto unpublished panel occupies a unique place in the oeuvre of Pieter Verelst, whose output largely consisted of Dutch and Italianate genre scenes and more formal single-figure portraits inspired by Rembrandt's work of the 1630s. Verelst studied in Dordrecht, perhaps under Benjamin Gerritsz. Cuyp, and is recorded there as a pupil in the guild in 1638. In 1643, he moved to The Hague, where he was to remain for the next twenty years before falling into debt and seemingly abandoning painting in circa 1670.
During the seventeenth century, artists increasingly sought to capture the youthful features of children studied from life, rather than to define their sitters through the conventions of adult portraiture. This engaging, perceptively painted portrait of a young boy is a beautiful example of the care and sensitivity that emerged in the genre of child portraiture during this period. The tender observation of the boy's features and the intimacy of the scale suggest that the painting may have held a deep personal significance for the artist, with the spontaneity and naturalness of its rendering intimating that he was painted from life.
While the boy’s hair and clothes are painted with the swift, summary strokes of a sketch, the features of his face are more focused and drawn in greater detail, emitting the great psychological complexity of a finished portrait. Verelst captures the tones of his skin in smooth brushstrokes, as if endeavouring to record an exact moment in time, with a tenderness that suggests a true affection for his subject. While the boy’s identity is unknown, his age may accord with that of Verelst’s eldest son, Herman, who, born in 1641, could have been depicted here in 1648 at the age of seven (and who, together with his brothers Simon Pietersz. and Johannes, went on to become painters themselves). The sitter also bears a strong resemblance to a similarly conceived picture dated 1643 (sold in these Rooms, 2 July 2013, lot 8), raising the possibility that the two pictures are of the same boy, painted five years apart. No other such studies by the artist are known.
During the seventeenth century, artists increasingly sought to capture the youthful features of children studied from life, rather than to define their sitters through the conventions of adult portraiture. This engaging, perceptively painted portrait of a young boy is a beautiful example of the care and sensitivity that emerged in the genre of child portraiture during this period. The tender observation of the boy's features and the intimacy of the scale suggest that the painting may have held a deep personal significance for the artist, with the spontaneity and naturalness of its rendering intimating that he was painted from life.
While the boy’s hair and clothes are painted with the swift, summary strokes of a sketch, the features of his face are more focused and drawn in greater detail, emitting the great psychological complexity of a finished portrait. Verelst captures the tones of his skin in smooth brushstrokes, as if endeavouring to record an exact moment in time, with a tenderness that suggests a true affection for his subject. While the boy’s identity is unknown, his age may accord with that of Verelst’s eldest son, Herman, who, born in 1641, could have been depicted here in 1648 at the age of seven (and who, together with his brothers Simon Pietersz. and Johannes, went on to become painters themselves). The sitter also bears a strong resemblance to a similarly conceived picture dated 1643 (sold in these Rooms, 2 July 2013, lot 8), raising the possibility that the two pictures are of the same boy, painted five years apart. No other such studies by the artist are known.