Portrait of Lieutenant Admiral Michiel Adriaensz. de Ruyter by Ferdinand Bol

Dimensions: 105 x 84,5 cm

Medium & Support: Oil on canvas

Description:
The composition of the painting offered here is derived from five almost identical portraits of De Ruyter, that were painted by Ferdinand Bol and his workshop in 1667. De Ruyter is depicted in an admiral’s uniform, holding a baton in his right hand and on his left side a sabre. Around his neck he wears the chain of the order of St Michael, that was bestowed upon him by the French king Louis XIV as a token of appreciation for his role in the battle against the English. With his right arm he leans on a celestial globe, which stands on a table covered in a red cloth. Some objects on the table are related to navigation on sea, such as a map with the coastline of Flanders and Zeeland. De Ruyter stands in front of stone balustrade and a dark red pulled-up curtain of heavy fabric and two hanging tassels, which offers a view of the sea on the right. Here his flagship ship De Zeven Provinciën (The Seven Provinces) can be recognized.

It is known that De Ruyter commissioned and paid for five identical portraits, which were all intended for the admiralty buildings as a reminder and tribute to the successful Four Days Battle in 1666 against the English and the Battle of Chatham in 1667. Four of these five versions are still extant and located in Amsterdam, Den Haag, Greenwich and Hoorn (pl. 1-4). The works are all signed and dated by Bol: FBol. fecit. 1667. Yet, these canvases are not entirely painted by Bol himself; the differences in detailing and the background points to the co-operation of others. Presumably the Greenwich version (pl. 3) was the prototype.

Bol may have called in Willem van de Velde The Younger (1633 Leiden—London 1707), a specialist in seascapes and naval battles, to paint the background. Such prestigious collaborations have regularly occurred since the 16th century. By combining specialisms, the most ultimate results were achieved, and the wishes of prosperous clients could be met.

The portrait on offer here is a variant of the Portrait of Michiel Adriaensz de Ruyter with his flagship The Seven Provinces in the background (pl. 1-4). Here the portrayed occupies a more prominent place in the composition, so that less of the environment is visible. Less attributes are depicted; for example, the globe and map are missing and the background was not painted by a specialist, rather by a less talented studio employee. The work is also not dated or signed.

The person portrayed is cut off somewhat narrowly. During the restoration it became clear that the canvas had been slightly shortened on the left- and right hand side in the past. Since the original string garlands are still visible, it may be assumed that this was not more than 1 to 1,5 cm at each side. The tassel of the red curtain on the right has now been almost completely cut off and his right hand reaches the left edge of the painting. The original composition is somewhat affected by the aforementioned adjustment in size, albeit only slightly.

The composition may have initially been comparable in width with the version in the Nautical Training school in Amsterdam and the painting that was auctioned at Sotheby’s London in 2018. In these two works the tassel in front of the curtain hangs loose from the frame and the right hand has more space. In the Amsterdam work, De Ruyter does not lean on the baton, but he holds it in his right hand; however, the staff rests on a red-covered table, as is the case in the present work. In the version auctioned in London the admiral holds the baton but does not support it on the table. The manner in which the portrayed rests his left hand on his hip is largely consistent, as well as the clothes and the pulled-up red curtain in the background.

The posture of the right hand leaning on the admiral’s staff is possibly derived from the 1669 canvas in Copenhagen, on which De Ruyter does not look at the viewer, but has his head turned to the left and is facing the image plane. The element of the hand resting on the baton also appears in the Portrait of Cornelis Tromp (1629-1691), in the Maritime Museum, Amsterdam. Also this Lieutenant-Admiral looks back at us as viewers.

The Maritime Museum Zeeland (Maritiem MuZEEum Zeeland) holds a Portrait of Michiel de Ruyter, his head facing left, which is based on the version in Copenhagen. Here, too, the posture of the right hand and the admiral’s staff has been adjusted. Apparently this element was a popular means for Bol in varying his compositions.

Ferdinand Bol and his apprentices were responsible for a large number of portraits of Michiel de Ruyter in different designs and dimensions. The painting on offer here is not a direct copy of another well-known example but a variant version, using previously used, known elements. It proves that 17th-century painters regularly reused and compiled compositions, postures and attributes, shaping them into new successful versions, such as the present Portrait of Lieutenant-Admiral Michel Adriaensz. De Ruyter.

Provenance:
Collection Adriaan van der Willigen (1766-1841), by decent
Collection Dr. Adriaan van der Willigen (1810-1876), Haarlem, sold circa 1872-76 to Collection Hendrik Dyserinck (1838-1906), Minister of Maritime affairs (1888-1891), by decent, 1891
Collection Hendrik Dyserinck (1872-1930), between November 1926-1930
Collection Adrienne (Allie) Gertrude Dyserinck (1876-1942) and Agnes Maria Dyserinck (1880-1965), his sisters, before 1965, via their cousin
Mrs Johanna Wijsmuller-Kleiweg Dyserinck (1872-1938), to her son
Collection Willem Jean Wijsmuller (1879 Haarlem – Amsterdam 1963), (by decent ?) Collection Willem Jacob Carel ‘Jaap’ Wijsmuller (1928 Heemstede – Breda 2023), by descent
Their sale, Vendu veilingen & taxaties Rotterdam, 7 November 2023, lot 2, to J.B. de Roo, Zwijndrecht, by 2023

Available reports (follow the links to download the reports):
2025: Ferdinand Bol and studio. Portrait of Lieutenant-Admiral Michiel Adriaensz. de Ruyter, circa 1669. By Dr. Micha Leeflang, Art Historian, Curator Museum Catherijneconvent, The Netherlands
2024: Een admiraliteitsportret van Michiel de Ruyter (1607-1676). By Dr. Erna Kok, Art Historian PhD
2024: Summary of the report of Dr. Erna Kok and Dr. Norbert Middelkoop
2024: Restoration report: Atelier van Wassenaer, Lara van Wassenaer, Amsterdam