Gerard ter Borch (; December 1617 – 8 December 1681), also known as Gerard Terburg (), was a

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

genre Genre () is any form or type of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially-agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other for ...

painter who lived in the Dutch Golden Age. He influenced fellow Dutch painters

Gabriel Metsu In Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam), Gabriel (); Greek: grc, Γαβριήλ, translit=Gabriḗl, label=none; Latin: ''Gabriel''; Coptic: cop, Ⲅⲁⲃⲣⲓⲏⲗ, translit=Gabriêl, label=none; Amharic: am, ገብር� ...

Gerrit Dou Gerrit Dou (7 April 1613 – 9 February 1675), also known as Gerard Douw or Dow, was a Dutch Golden Age painter, whose small, highly polished paintings are typical of the Leiden fijnschilders. He specialised in genre scenes and is noted for his ...

Eglon van der Neer Eglon van der Neer (1635/363 May 1703) was a Dutch painter of historical scenes, portraits and elegant, fashionable people, and later of landscapes. Life Van der Neer was born in Amsterdam and was probably first taught by his father, Aert ...

and

Johannes Vermeer Johannes Vermeer ( , , see below; also known as Jan Vermeer; October 1632 – 15 December 1675) was a Dutch Baroque Period painter who specialized in domestic interior scenes of middle-class life. During his lifetime, he was a moderately succe ...

. According to

Arthur K. Wheelock Jr. Arthur Kingsland Wheelock Jr. (born May 13, 1943, in Uxbridge, Massachusetts, Uxbridge) is an American art historian, who served as Curator of Northern Baroque Paintings at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. until retiring in 2018. W ...

, Ter Borch "established a new framework for subject matter, taking people into the sanctum of the home", showing the figures' uncertainties and expertly hinting at their inner lives. His influence as a painter, however, was later surpassed by Vermeer.

Biography

Gerard ter Borch was born in December 1617 in

Zwolle Zwolle () is a city and municipality in the Northeastern Netherlands. It is the capital of the province of Overijssel and the province's second-largest municipality after Enschede with a population of 130,592 as of 1 December 2021. Zwolle is o ...

in the province of

Overijssel Overijssel (, ; nds, Oaveriessel ; german: Oberyssel) is a Provinces of the Netherlands, province of the Netherlands located in the eastern part of the country. The province's name translates to "across the IJssel", from the perspective of the ...

in the

Dutch Republic The United Provinces of the Netherlands, also known as the (Seven) United Provinces, officially as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands (Dutch: ''Republiek der Zeven Verenigde Nederlanden''), and commonly referred to in historiography ...

. He received an excellent education from his father

Gerard ter Borch the Elder Gerard ter Borch (1583 in Zwolle – 1662 in Zwolle), was a Dutch Golden Age painter. According to Arnold Houbraken, who referred to him as Gerard Terburg's father, he was a good painter who had spent many years in Rome and who was the first ...

, also an artist, and developed his talent very early. The inscription on a study of a head proves that Ter Borch was at

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

in 1632, where he studied possibly under

Willem Cornelisz Duyster Willem Cornelisz Duyster (1599–1635) was a Dutch Golden Age painter from Amsterdam, best known for his " guardroom scenes" (''cortegaarddje''), genre paintings showing the military life. Biography According to the Netherlands Institute for ...

Pieter Codde Pieter Jacobsz Codde (December 11, 1599 – October 12, 1678) was a Dutch painter of genre works, guardroom scenes and portraits. Life Codde was a technically skilled painter. He is said to have studied with Frans Hals, but it is more likely ...

. Duyster's influence can be traced in a picture bearing the date 1638, in the Ionides Bequest (

Victoria and Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum (often abbreviated as the V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.27 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and nam ...

, London). In 1634 he studied under

Pieter de Molijn Pieter de Molijn (6 April 1595 in London – 23 March 1661 in Haarlem) was a Dutch Golden Age painter and engraver of English birth and Flemish descent. He was baptized in the Dutch Reformed Austin Friars church in London. He was born to ...

Haarlem Haarlem (; predecessor of ''Harlem'' in English) is a city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is the capital of the province of North Holland. Haarlem is situated at the northern edge of the Randstad, one of the most populated metropoli ...

. A record of this Haarlem period is the ''Consultation'' (1635) at the Berlin Gallery. Westfaelischer Friede in Muenster (Gerard Terborch 1648)

In 1635, he was in London, and subsequently he travelled in Germany, France, Spain and

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

. His sister Gesina also became a painter. It is certain that he was in Rome in 1641, when he painted the small portraits on copper of ''Jan Six'', ''A Young Lady'' (Six Collection, Amsterdam) and the portrait of a Gentlemen (DMK Collection Nuermberg). In 1648 he was at

Münster Münster (; nds, Mönster) is an independent city (''Kreisfreie Stadt'') in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also a state di ...

during the meeting of the congress which ratified the treaty of peace between the Spaniards and the Dutch, and executed his celebrated little picture, painted upon copper, of the assembled plenipotentiaries—a work which, along with the a portrait of a ''Man Standing'' ("Portrait of a Young Man"), represents the master in the

National Gallery The National Gallery is an art museum in Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, in Central London, England. Founded in 1824, it houses a collection of over 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900. The current Director ...

in London. The picture was bought by the marquess of Hertford at the Demidoff sale for £7280, and presented to the

Sir Richard Wallace Sir Richard Wallace, 1st Baronet (21 June 1818 – 20 July 1890), of Sudbourne, Sudbourne Hall in Suffolk, Hertford House in London, and of the Château de Bagatelle in Paris, was a British art collector and Francophile. Origins and youth Ric ...

, at the suggestion of his secretary, Sir John Murray Scott. Gerard_ter_Borch

At this time Ter Borch was invited to visit

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...

, where he received employment and the honour of knighthood from Philip IV, but, in consequence of an intrigue, it is said, he was obliged to return to the Netherlands. He seems to have resided for a time in Haarlem; but he finally settled in

Deventer Deventer (; Sallands: ) is a city and municipality in the Salland historical region of the province of Overijssel, Netherlands. In 2020, Deventer had a population of 100,913. The city is largely situated on the east bank of the river IJssel, bu ...

, where he became a member of the town council, as which he appears in the portrait now in the gallery of the Hague. He died at Deventer in 1681.

Works

Ter Borch is a significant painter of genre subjects. He is known for his rendering of texture in draperies, for example in ''The Letter'' and in '' The Gallant Conversation'', engraved by

Johann Georg Wille Johann Georg Wille, or Jean Georges Wille (5 November 1715, near Biebertal - 5 April 1808, Paris) was a German-born copper engraver, who spent most of his life in France. He also worked as an art dealer. Life and work He was the eldest of seven ...

. Ter Borch's works are comparatively rare; about eighty have been catalogued. Six of these are at the Hermitage, six at the Berlin Museum, five at the

Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is the world's most-visited museum, and an historic landmark in Paris, France. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the ''Mona Lisa'' and the ''Venus de Milo''. A central l ...

, four at the Dresden Museum, three at the Getty Center, and two at the

Wallace Collection The Wallace Collection is a museum in London occupying Hertford House in Manchester Square, the former townhouse of the Seymour family, Marquesses of Hertford. It is named after Sir Richard Wallace, who built the extensive collection, along w ...

. A pair of portraits were located at the

Corcoran Gallery The Corcoran Gallery of Art was an art museum in Washington, D.C., United States, that is now the location of the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design, a part of the George Washington University. Overview The Corcoran School of the Arts & Desi ...

in Washington D.C., highlighted in 2010 by Blake Gopnik. The artist's painting ''The Suitor's Visit'', c. 1658, oil on canvas, 80 x 75 cm (31½ × 29 9/16 in.) in the Andrew W. Mellon Collection, was used on the cover of

Marilyn Stokstad Marilyn Jane Stokstad (February 16, 1929 – March 4, 2016) was an American art historian, educator, and curator. A scholar of medieval and Spanish art, Stokstad was Judith Harris Murphy Distinguished Professor of Art History Emeritus at the Uni ...

's second edition of ''Art History''.

Selected works

Gerard ter Borch - Man on Horseback.jpg, ''

Man on Horseback ''Man on Horseback'' (german: Michael Kohlhaas – der Rebell, link=no) is a 1969 West German drama film directed by Volker Schlöndorff based on the novel '' Michael Kohlhaas'' by Heinrich von Kleist. It was entered into the 1969 Cannes Film ...

'' (1634) EinzugdesGesandten AdriaenPauw.jpg, ''Adrian Pauw's arrival in Münster'' (1646) Gerard ter Borch (II) "De Koestal".jpg, ''A Maid Milking a Cow in a Barn'' ( 1652–54) Gerard ter Borch d. J. 004.jpg, ''The concert'' (1655) Gerard ter Borch d. J. 001.jpg, ''Woman writing a letter'' ( 1655) Gerard ter Borch (II) - The Letter - WGA22120.jpg, ''The letter'' ( 1655) Målning. Familjebild. Gerard ter Borch - Hallwylska museet - 86722.tif, ''Portrait of a Family'' (after 1656) Borch Officer.jpg, ''An officer dictating a letter'' ( 1657–58) A Woman Playing the Theorbo-Lute and a Cavalier MET DP145907.jpg, '' A Woman Playing the Theorbo-Lute and a Cavalier'', circa 1658, Metropolitan Museum of Art Gerhard Terborch.jpg, ''Lady at her Toilette'' (1660) Gerard Terborch - A Lady Reading a Letter.JPG, ''A Lady Reading a Letter'' (1662) Gerard ter Borch (II) - The Glass of Lemonade - WGA22118.jpg, '' Glass of Lemonade'' ( 1664) Woman Reading a Letter 1660-1662 Gerard ter Borch II.jpg, '' The Letter'' ( 1660-1665) Cornelis de Graeff (1650-1678).png, ''Portrait of Cornelis HrR Ridder de Graeff'' (1673)

Claim for Nazi-looted art

In 2007, the heirs to the retail magnate Max Emden requested that the National Gallery of Victoria restitute the Gerard ter Borch painting ''Lady with a Fan'' which Emden had owned prior to the rise of the Nazis.

Notes

References

External links

Works and literature on Gerard ter Borch
{{DEFAULTSORT:Borch, Gerard Ter 1617 births 1681 deaths Dutch Golden Age painters Dutch male painters Dutch genre painters Municipal councillors in Overijssel People from Zwolle Sibling artists