An image is not available here yet.
View at the museum ↗Portrait of Thomas Bulwer
Gerard van Soest1654
- Attribution
- Gerard van Soest (Dutch, c. 1600–1681)
- Medium
- Oil on canvas
- Physical dimensions
- 101.7 × 86.7 cm (40 1/16 × 34 1/8 in.)
- Credit line
- Alexander A. McKay Fund
Museum metadata is available under CC0. Image availability and rights are separate; consult the source record.
Source rights statement: Public domain
View the museum record ↗From the museum
Like many Dutch artists working in late 17th-century England, Gerard Soest catered to members of the upper social classes and aristocracy. The subject of this portrait, Norfolk gentleman Thomas Bulwer, likely hired Soest because of the painter’s ability to convey a sitter’s authority with directness and simplicity. Here, Soest depicted Bulwer clutching a scroll to signal his intellectual interests and influence. Likewise, the subject’s hand poised on the chair’s armrest suggests that he is about to rise, an indication of his active nature. The inscription and date, which were uncovered during cleaning, were added in the 18th century.
Description: Art Institute of Chicago · CC BY 4.0