Portrait of a Nobleman, possibly Adriaan van der Borcht
Anthony van Dyck
1634 - c. 1635
Anthony van Dyck (1599 - 1641). Portrait of Nicolaes van der Borcht, merchant of Antwerp, c. 1634/1635. The coat of arms on the red curtain tells us that this gentleman was a member of the Antwerp merchant family of Van der Borcht, probably Nicolaes, who died in 1658. Nicolaes is pointing to a sea battle to his left. It is a fight between Spanish and Southern-Netherlandish privateers. The city in the background is Dunkirk, which in the seventeenth century was a notorious pirates' nest. His proud gesture suggests that Van der Borcht was himself involved in the lucrative business of pirateering.
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam · Image: Rijksmuseum, Public domain · Text: Rijksmuseum (adapted), CC0