Portrait of Willem Jacobsz Baert (1636-1684), Burgomaster of Alkmaar
Historical Context
Van Everdingen's portrait of Willem Jacobsz Baert, Burgomaster of Alkmaar, painted in 1671, documents one of the leading civic officials of this North Holland city. As a local painter of some standing, Van Everdingen was regularly commissioned to paint the portraits of Alkmaar's regents and civic leaders. These portraits served both as personal records and as components of the civic portrait collections that adorned Dutch town halls.
Technical Analysis
Van Everdingen's oil-on-canvas portrait technique demonstrates solid command of formal Dutch portrait conventions. The burgomaster's features are rendered with careful naturalism, while the dark official costume is painted with the subtle tonal variations expected of Dutch civic portraiture.
Provenance
div p ** strong For both the present painting (SK-A-1339) and its pendant (SK-A-1340) /strong ** /p p ; sale, Jan Hendrick Cremer (1813-1885, Arnhem and Ixelles), Amsterdam (F. Muller et al.), 26 October 1886, no. 23, fl. 345, to the museum{NHA, ARM, IS, inv. 166, nos. 101 (25 October 1886), 119 (2 December 1886); NHA, ARS, Kop., inv. 289, p. 119, no. 267 (15 December 1886).} /p /div
