Dutch Oil Portrait Merchant in Millstone Collar C1625 In the manner of Michiel van Mierevelt
🖼️ Important Baroque Dutch — Oil Portrait, Golden Age
Bearded Wealthy Merchant in Millstone Collar • C 1625 In the manner of Michiel van Mierevelt
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🎨 Subject & Medium
Oil on canvas, Dutch School, early 17th century. Large three-quarter-length portrait of a prosperous Dutch merchant in three-quarter front profile. The panel bears a clear Latin inscription: “Aetatis Suae 39 / Anno 1625” (aged 39, 1625), providing a precise and reliable chronological anchor.
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👤 About the Sitter
A commanding representation of a successful Dutch merchant at the height of his career. The sitter stands with one arm resting on a table and the other placed confidently on his hip, engaging the viewer with a direct, assured gaze. He wears the height of early 17th-century Dutch fashion: a sumptuous black costume complemented by an elaborate wide white lace millstone collar and matching cuffs. The millstone collar — a broad, flat collar draped over the shoulders — was a costly and fashionable form in the Northern Netherlands during the 1620s and is closely associated with wealthy merchants and civic leaders. Additional details, including a chained loop belt and a gold seal signet ring worn on the little finger, further reinforce authority and mercantile prominence. The sitter’s carefully modelled brown hair and neatly trimmed beard embody the sober dignity prized by the mercantile elite.
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🏛️ Historical Importance & Heraldic Interpretation
Painted in 1625 during the height of the Dutch Golden Age, this portrait exemplifies the emergence of a powerful mercantile class whose wealth reshaped European society. Authority is asserted not through inherited nobility but through dress, posture and emblem. Of particular interest is the painted merchant’s-mark cartouche in the upper right of the composition. Set within a red shield, it incorporates a key motif — symbolising custodianship and control over warehouses or ports — together with the “sign of four” (reversed-4), a documented protective and identifying device used in merchant marks from the late medieval through early modern period. Flanked by winged cherubs, the cartouche is elevated into an armorial mode, merging piety with prosperity and signalling near-gentry ambition. The presence of such a cartouche within a painted portrait is comparatively rare and indicates a sitter consciously promoting his commercial identity and social standing.
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🎓 About the Artist — Attribution
Attributed in the manner of Michiel van Mierevelt (1566–1641). Based in Delft, Mierevelt was among the most influential portraitists of the late 16th and early 17th centuries, serving civic leaders and wealthy merchants while establishing a sober, dignified portrait formula widely imitated by his workshop and followers. The restrained palette, formal pose, crisp facial modelling and carefully rendered millstone collar evident here align closely with works produced within the Mierevelt circle. The painting is unsigned and is best regarded as a high-quality work by a skilled hand operating in this tradition.
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✍️ Inscription & Dating
The Latin inscription “Aetatis Suae 39 / Anno 1625” is intact and legible, confirming both the sitter’s age and the precise year of execution — a significant and desirable feature for collectors and scholars.
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🖼️ Framed & Physical Details
Presented in a later Swedish gilt frame, stamped verso “Made in Sweden”. This historic but non-original frame complements the work effectively. The painting is fitted with a hanging wire and is ready for immediate display. Approximate framed dimensions are 113.5 cm (H) × 88.5 cm (W) × 5 cm (D). The paint surface displays uniform historic craquelure consistent with early 17th-century oil painting.
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📜 Provenance & Ownership
Curated and currently owned by Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD. Formerly from a large private mansion in Cheshire, England. Acquired from Hanson’s Auctioneers, Derbyshire, January 2023 Fine Art Sale, Lot 443.
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💚 Why You’ll Love It
✅ Firmly dated 1625 with a clear Latin age inscription, providing a precise historical anchor
✅ Features a rare painted merchant’s-mark cartouche with key and reversed-4 motif framed by cherubs, powerfully expressing mercantile identity and status
✅ Impressive large scale and commanding presence, making it an exceptional statement piece for collectors of Old Masters, Dutch Golden Age art, and mercantile history
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🔍 Condition Report
The painting is in good antique condition, consistent with its early 17th-century date. Stable, uniform historic craquelure is present throughout, most notably in dark background areas. Evidence of older, sympathetic restoration is visible — including retouching to the millstone collar and the upper-right background near the cartouche — and appears conservation-led and well integrated. Minor surface abrasion and paint thinning consistent with age and historic cleaning are present, with no active flaking, lifting or instability. Flesh tones retain strong modelling and fine detail, including the gold signet ring. The canvas has been relined as part of historic conservation; the lining is sound with no tears or punctures. The later Swedish gilt frame shows wear and small chips.
