G. Donck, 'Portrait of Jan van Hensbeeck, his Wife and a Child', probably 1630s
| Full title | A Family Group (Jan van Hensbeeck and his Wife, Maria Koeck, and a Child ?) |
|---|---|
| Artist | G. Donck |
| Artist dates | active 1627 - 1640 |
| Date made | probably 1630s |
| Medium and support | oil on wood |
| Dimensions | 76 × 106.2 cm |
| Inscription summary | Signed |
| Acquisition credit | Bought, 1890 |
| Inventory number | NG1305 |
| Location | Not on display |
| Collection | Main Collection |
Donck, whose signature is below the stump in the foreground, left almost no trace in the historical records. We don‘t even know his first name, only that he signed several small genre and portrait paintings between 1627 and 1640 and that he may have worked in Amsterdam.
The sitters here were named in 1891 but the evidence for this identification is lost. If it is van Hensbeeck and Koeck we know little about them, except that van Hensbeeck bought two houses in Utrecht in 1648. There’s a deathbed portrait of Koeck Claesdr, dated 1679, by Christiaan Jansz. Dusart.
All three sitters wear expensive fabrics and the husband appears to be gesturing proprietorially to his estates. The basket of grapes may be a biblical reference to the women’s fertility: ’Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine...' (Psalm 128: 3). The cathedral in the far distance maybe the Dom of Utrecht before the nave collapsed in 1674.
Donck, whose signature is below the stump in the foreground, left almost no trace in the historical records. We don‘t even know his first name, only that he signed several small genre and portrait paintings between 1627 and 1640 and that he may have worked in Amsterdam.
The sitters in this portrait were named in 1891, a year after the National Gallery bought it, but the evidence for this identification is lost. If it is van Hensbeeck and Koeck we know little about them, except that van Hensbeeck bought two houses in Utrecht in 1648. There’s a deathbed portrait of Koeck Claesdr dated 1679 by Christiaan Jansz. Dusart.
We can say for sure that husband, wife and child all wear expensive fabrics and that the husband appears to be gesturing proprietorially to his estates. The basket of grapes may be a biblical reference to the women’s fertility: ’Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine…' (Psalm 128: 3). The cathedral in the far distance maybe the Dom of Utrecht before the nave collapsed in 1674.
Download a low-resolution copy of this image for personal use.
License and download a high-resolution image for reproductions up to A3 size from the National Gallery Picture Library.
License imageThis image is licensed for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons agreement.
Examples of non-commercial use are:
- Research, private study, or for internal circulation within an educational organisation (such as a school, college or university)
- Non-profit publications, personal websites, blogs, and social media
The image file is 800 pixels on the longest side.
As a charity, we depend upon the generosity of individuals to ensure the collection continues to engage and inspire. Help keep us free by making a donation today.
You must agree to the Creative Commons terms and conditions to download this image.
