The Six family has privately held this painting for over 350 years, and have generously lent it to the Mauritshuis viewing only. Jan Six was the youngest son of his generation of this prosperous family, a well-traveled poet, playwright and bibliophile who'd studied law. When he chose to marry, his bride was Margaretha Tulp, daughter of the physician that Rembrandt immortalized in 1632. Six was also a friend of Rembrandt's, a fact that certainly contributed to the remarkably casual pose in this intimate portrait.
About the show:
The first survey in more than 50 years devoted to the "Golden Age" of Dutch Baroque portraiture, Dutch Portraits: The Age of Rembrandt and Frans Hals is comprised of some 60 key paintings borrowed from European and U.S. lenders. At least eight works apiece from Rembrandt and Hals are prominently present, supplemented with one or more canvases from an additional 25 master artists. Together, these amply illustrate the rise of the Dutch merchant class in the seventeenth-century and demonstrate its eagerness to record newly-found prosperity by commissioning an unprecedented number of portraits.
Scheduled Venues
The National Gallery, London: June 27-September 16, 2007
Royal Picture Gallery Mauritshuis: October 13, 2007-January 13, 2008