Bernard Vaillant
(1632-1698)
Portrait of Pieter van Loon, 1607-1679 (1667)
Indistinctly signed and dated 1667 centre right
Oil on canvas, 91.5 x 71.9 cm
Provenance:
– Private collection, UK
– Private collection, the Netherlands
Note:
This portrait presents Pieter van Loon, the director (or “Bewindvoerder” in Dutch) of the VOC, the renowned Dutch United East India trading company. Born in 1607 to Hans van Loon (1577-1658) and Anna Ruychaver (1573-1649), Pieter passed away in 1679 under unspecified circumstances. The viewer’s gaze is drawn to Pieter’s elegant and prominent hand, which showcases a medallion adorned with rose-cut diamonds. This could potentially symbolize his late wife, Anna van Foreest (1609-1654), whom he married in 1631. Another nod to Anna might be the ring on Pieter’s little finger, as it was customary for husbands not to wear rings during that time period, while wives wore wedding rings on their little fingers.

A similar portrait, featuring Pieter’s younger brother and business partner in their trading company, Nicolaes ende Pieter van Loon, is housed in the Collections Museum van Loon in Amsterdam (inv.no. 2575). It is highly probable that both Pieter and Nicolaes commissioned their portraits from the Vaillant brothers’ workshop in 1667. Apart from this portrait, only five other known portraits of Bernard Vaillant exist, with one held at the Rijksmuseum (inv.no. A 1663).
* Condition report available upon request