Gerard ter Borch (; December 1617 – 8 December 1681), also known as Gerard Terburg (), was a Dutch genre painter who lived in the

Dutch Golden Age The Dutch Golden Age ( nl, Gouden Eeuw ) was a period in the history of the Netherlands, roughly spanning the era from 1588 (the birth of the Dutch Republic) to 1672 (the Rampjaar, "Disaster Year"), in which Dutch trade, science, and Dutch art, ...

. He influenced fellow Dutch painters Gabriel Metsu, Gerrit Dou,

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. 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 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. He received an excellent education from his father Gerard ter Borch the Elder, also an artist, and developed his talent very early. The inscription on a study of a head proves that Ter Borch was at Amsterdam 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, 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 Pi ...

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 The Berlinische Galerie is a museum of modern art, photography and architecture in Berlin. It is located in Kreuzberg, on Alte Jakobstraße, not far from the Jewish Museum Berlin, Jewish Museum. History The Berlinische Galerie was founded in 19 ...

Westfaelischer Friede in Muenster (Gerard Terborch 1648)

In 1635, he was in London, and subsequently he travelled in Germany, France, Spain and Italy. His sister

Gesina Gesina is a Dutch feminine given name. Like the German form Gesine it originated, perhaps via the hypocorism "Ge" and diminutive "Gesie", from Geertruida/ Gertrude.Münster 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 in London. The picture was bought by the marquess of Hertford at the

Demidoff The House of Demidov (russian: Деми́довы) also Demidoff, was a prominent Russian noble family during the 18th and 19th centuries. Originating in the city of Tula in the 17th century, the Demidovs found success through metal products, ...

sale for £7280, and presented to the National Gallery by

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, where he received employment and the honour of knighthood from

Philip IV Philip IV may refer to: * Philip IV of Macedon (died 297 BC) * Philip IV of France (1268–1314), Avignon Papacy * Philip IV of Burgundy or Philip I of Castile (1478–1506) * Philip IV, Count of Nassau-Weilburg (1542–1602) * Philip IV of Spain ...

, but, in consequence of an intrigue, it is said, he was obliged to return to the Netherlands. One of his great patrons was Amsterdam burgomaster and statesman Andries de Graeff. 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 ''The Gallant Conversation'' is an oil-on-canvas painting from circa 1654 by Gerard ter Borch (the Younger). A late 18th century French print of the work is titled ''The Paternal Admonition'', apparently believing it showed a father reprimandin ...

'', 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, four at the Dresden Museum, three at the

Getty Center The Getty Center, in Los Angeles, California, is a campus of the Getty Museum and other programs of the Getty Trust. The $1.3 billion center opened to the public on December 16, 1997 and is well known for its architecture, gardens, and views over ...

, and two at the Wallace Collection. A pair of portraits were located at the Corcoran Gallery 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'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 ''A Woman Playing the Theorbo-Lute and a Cavalier'' is aqn oil on wood painting by Dutch artist Gerard ter Borch, Gerard ter Borch the Younger, created ''c.'' 1658. The work depicts a young woman playing a theorbo while her lover looks on. The pai ...

'', 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 ''Glass of Lemonade'' ( nl, Het glas limonade) is an oil on canvas painting by the Dutch artist Gerard ter Borch, created around 1664. (canvas ). It is part of the State Hermitage, in St. Petersburg, where it entered in 1815 as part of the collect ...

'' ( 1664) Woman Reading a Letter 1660-1662 Gerard ter Borch II.jpg, ''

The Letter The Letter may refer to: Literature * "The Letter" (poem), a poem by Wilfred Owen (1893–1918) * "The Letter", a short story in W. Somerset Maugham's 1926 collection ''The Casuarina Tree'' * "The Letter", 38th sura of the Qur'an * ''The Letters ...

'' ( 1660–1665) File:Jacob de Graeff, heer van Purmerland en Ilpendam.jpg, Portrait of Jacob de Graeff, free lord of Purmerland and Ilpendam (between 1670 and 1681) Cornelis de Graeff (1650-1678).png, ''Portrait of

Cornelis HrR Ridder de Graeff ''Knight'' Cornelis de Graeff (19 May 1650 in The Hague – 16 October 1678 in The Hague) was a Dutch nobility, nobleman and a Water board (Netherlands), water board member of the Zijpe and Haze Polder. Biography He was a member of the family D ...

'' (1673) File:Pieter de Graeff, vrijheer van Zuid-Polsbroek, Purmerland en Ilpendam.png, ''Portrait of

Pieter de Graeff Pieter de Graeff (15 August 1638 – 3 June 1707), was a member of the De Graeff-family from the Dutch Golden Age. He was an Amsterdam Regent during the late 1660s and the early 1670s, and held the titles as Lord of the semi-sovereign Fief Zui ...

'', free Lord of Zuid-Polsbroek, Purmerland and Ilpendam (1674)

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 Artists from Zwolle Sibling artists