Tomas deKEYSER
Dutch 1596/97-1667
Frederick van Velthuysen and his wife Josina
1636
oil on wood panel
114.9 x 80.5 cm
Presented through The Art Foundation of Victoria with the assistance of Lynton and Nigel Morgan, in memory of their parents, Eric and Marian Morgan, Founder Benefactors, 1987
E1-1987

Thomas de Keyser was a very successful and popular portrait painter throughout his long career. His realistic style and direct manner of painting appealed to his clientele, drawn from the middle and upper classes of Amsterdam.

This painting was commissioned to celebrate the marriage of the sitters, whom de Keyser most skilfully portrayed in costumes of the finest satin, silk, lace, embroidery and jewels. The classical architectural setting is pure fantasy and is used to enrich the image of the couple whose social and economic status is as much the subject of the painting as is the accurate depiction of their likeness.