17th century Dutch Old Master Portait of Jan Boudaen Courten - herbarium

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17th century Dutch Old Master Portait of Jan Boudaen Courten - herbarium

About the Item

17th century Dutch portrait of a botanical aficionado, presumed to be Jan Boudaen Courten (1635–1716), the director of the Dutch East India Company (VOC), draped in luxurious silk and presenting a prized herbarium —symbols of wealth, trade, and scientific curiosity in the late 17th century. Exotism and luxury Although the sitter of our portrait was previously identified as Anthonie Van Leeuwenhoek, based on an old inscription on the stretcher (photo attached), art historian Mr. Kolja Thurner has proposed an identification of Jan Boudaen Courten. The sitter stands before us in three-quarter length, confidently smiling at the viewer. He is clad in luxury andsurrounded by objects expressing his wealth and worldlinessas “bewindhebber” of the VOC in Middelburg, where he would have overseen the trade with Batavia, India and Japanamong others. His shimmering, veinous silk robe in dark mauve is a fashionable japonse rok, first imported from Japan and later replicated by European tailors. The sitter rests his right hand on an intricately carved armchair, while his left presents a precious herbarium book on the table draped with red velvet cloth. Botanical curiosity and scientific inquiry flourished in the late Dutch 17th century. The Dutch were not all about Tulips In this period, the collection and study of exotic plants were both a scholarly pursuit and a fashionable hobby among Dutch elites. Through VOC trade networks, rare specimens were brought from overseas by figures like Hendrik Adriaan van Rheede (1636–1691) and Georg Eberhard Rumphius (1627–1702), cataloged and classified. The painting subtly highlights this intellectual and economic exchange, reinforcing the sitter's status as a man of influence and refinement. Garden splendour In the sitter’s background, a dark emerald green curtain is fluttering to the side, revealing a grand Dutch garden underneath a cloudy evening sky. As Lord of St Laurens, Schellach, and Popkensburg, Boudaen Courten owned vast estates in Middelburg and while the garden in the portrait does not precisely mirror his estate at Popkensburg (depicted in an engraving by Jan Luyken in 1696), it embodies the garden ideals of the time, influenced by popular treatises such as Joannes Groen's Den Nederlantsen Hovenier (1672). Worldly Affairs To the right of the sitter, facing the garden we see a classical statue with a sword and scales — a personification of Justitia, that does not seem to reflect on horticulture, but rather on the sitter himself and his conduct of business. Might this subtle inclusion invite the viewers to consider Boudaen Courten's integrity and moral standing in his commercial and political dealings? Boudaen Courten was an influential figure, as evidenced by multiple surviving portraits, including one by Cornelis Janssens van Ceulen II (1668, Rijksmuseum, SK A 921) and a copy of a lost painting by Caspar Netscher (SK A 901), with a pendant portrait of his wife, Anna Maria Hoeufft (SK A 902). We extend our gratitude to Mr. Kolja Thurner for the above entry on the portrait including his attribution and proposing the identification of the sitter. Dimensions: The oil on canvas measures ca: 32 by 40 cms With frame ca: 48 by 56 cms Provenance: Private collection France

Attributed to:
Jan Verkolje (1650 - 1693, Dutch)
Dimensions:
Height: 15.75 in (40 cm)Width: 12.6 in (32 cm)Depth: 0.4 in (1 cm)
Medium:
Oil,Canvas
Movement & Style:
Old Masters
Period:
Mid-17th Century
Condition:
Lovely and ready to hang. Cleaned in 2024 and in very fine condition, a little jewel.
Gallery Location:
Aartselaar, BE
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU1423215676212

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