Ferdinand Bol (24 June 1616 – 24 August 1680) was a Dutch painter, etcher and draftsman. Although his surviving work is rare, it displays Rembrandt's influence; like his master, Bol favored historical subjects, portraits, numerous self-portraits, and single figures in exotic finery.

Biography

Ferdinand was born in

Dordrecht Dordrecht (), historically known in English as Dordt (still colloquially used in Dutch, ) or Dort, is a city and municipality in the Western Netherlands, located in the province of South Holland. It is the province's fifth-largest city after R ...

as the son of a surgeon, Balthasar Bol. Ferdinand Bol was first an apprentice of Jacob Cuyp in his hometown and/or of

Abraham Bloemaert Abraham Bloemaert (25 December 1566 – 27 January 1651) was a Dutch painter and printmaker in etching and engraving. He was initially working in the style of the " Haarlem Mannerists", but in the 16th century altered his style in line with the ...

in Utrecht. After 1630, he studied with Rembrandt, living in his house in

Sint Antoniesbreestraat The Sint Antoniesbreestraat ("St. Anthony's Broad Street") is a street in the centre of Amsterdam in the Netherlands. The street runs south from Nieuwmarkt square to the Sint Antoniesluis sluice gates, where it continues as the Jodenbreestraat. ...

, then a fashionable street and area for painters, jewellers, architects, and many Flemish and Jewish immigrants. In 1641, Bol started his own studio. In 1652, he became a

burgher Burgher may refer to: * Burgher (social class), a medieval, early modern European title of a citizen of a town, and a social class from which city officials could be drawn ** Burgess (title), a resident of a burgh in northern Britain ** Grand Bu ...

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...

, and in 1653, he married Elisabeth Dell, whose father held positions with the

Admiralty of Amsterdam The Admiralty of Amsterdam was the largest of the five Dutch admiralties at the time of the Dutch Republic. The administration of the various admiralties was strongly influenced by provincial interests. The territory for which Amsterdam ...

and the wine merchants' guild, both institutions that later gave commissions to the artist. Within a few years (1655), he became the head of the guild and received orders to deliver two chimney pieces for rooms in the new town hall designed by

Jacob van Campen Jacob van Campen (2 February 1596 - 13 September 1657) was a Dutch artist and architect of the Golden Age. Life He was born into a wealthy family at Haarlem, and spent his youth in his home town. Being of noble birth and with time on his hand ...

, and four more for the

. Around this time, Bol was a popular and successful painter. His palette had lightened, his figures possessed greater elegance, and by the middle of the decade he was receiving more official commissions than any other artist in Amsterdam. Godfrey Kneller was his pupil. Bol delivered four paintings for the two mansions of the brothers Trip, originally also from Dordrecht. Bol's first wife died in 1660. In 1669, Bol married for the second time to Anna van Erckel, widow of the treasurer of the Admiralty, and apparently retired from painting at that point in his life.Crenshaw, P. (2006) Rembrandt's Bankruptcy. The artist, his patrons and the art market in seventeenth-century Netherlands, p. 40. In 1672, the couple moved to

Keizersgracht The Keizersgracht (; "Emperor's canal") is a canal in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. It is the second of the three main Amsterdam canals that together form the Grachtengordel, or canal belt, and lies between the inner Herengracht and outer Prinsengr ...

672, then a newly designed part of the city, and now the

Museum Van Loon Museum Van Loon is a museum located in a canalside house alongside the Keizersgracht in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The museum is named after the family Van Loon that lived in the house from the 19th century. History The canal house where the muse ...

. Bol served as a governor in a Home for Lepers. Bol died a few weeks after his wife, on

Herengracht The Herengracht () is the second of four Amsterdam canals belonging to the canal belt and lies between the Singel and the Keizersgracht. The Gouden Bocht (Golden Bend) in particular is known for its large and beautiful canal houses. History Th ...

, where his son, a lawyer, lived. Probably his best known painting is a portrait of Elisabeth Bas, the wife of the naval officer

Joachim Swartenhondt Jochem Hendrickszoon Swartenhont (1566 – 5 June 1627) was a Dutch naval officer in the navy of the Dutch Republic from the 17th century. Swartenhondt was born in Amsterdam, and started his career with the merchant fleet, becoming a cabin bo ...

and an innkeeper near the

Dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use ...

square. This and many other of his paintings would in the 19th century be falsely attributed to Rembrandt.

Gallery (selected works)

File:ElisabethBas.jpeg, Portrait of Elisabeth Bas File:Ferdinand Bol 004.jpg, '' Pyrrhus shows his elephant to Fabritius,''

Royal Palace of Amsterdam The Royal Palace of Amsterdam in Amsterdam (Dutch: ''Koninklijk Paleis van Amsterdam'' or ) is one of three palaces in the Netherlands which are at the disposal of the monarch by Act of Parliament. It is situated on the west side of Dam Square i ...

File:Bol Man in golden helmet.jpg, ''Man in golden helmet (Mars)'', National Museum,

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...

File:Portret van een man Rijksmuseum SK-A-43.jpeg, ''Portrait of a Man'', Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam File:Ferdinand Bol - A Lady with a Fan.jpg, ''

A Lady with a Fan ''A Lady with a Fan'' is a 1645-1650 painting by Ferdinand Bol, now in the National Gallery, London, to which it was bequeathed by Miss A.M. Philips in 1946. The subject has not been identified, though her clothing allows the painting to be dated. ...

,'' National Gallery, London File:Ferdinand Bol - An Astronomer.jpg, '' An Astronomer,'' National Gallery, London File:Governors of the Wine Merchant's Guild.jpg, ''Governors of the Wine Merchant's Guild'',

Alte Pinakothek The Alte Pinakothek (, ''Old Pinakothek'') is an art museum located in the Kunstareal area in Munich, Germany. It is one of the oldest galleries in the world and houses a significant collection of Old Master paintings. The name Alte (Old) Pi ...

, Munich

Notes

External links

Ferdinand Bol page
at the Rijksmuseum's web site with the famous portrait of Elisabeth Bas.
Works and literature
at PubHist

* ttp://www.art-drawing.ru/gallery/category/120-bol-ferdinand-baltasars Ferdinand Bol. Paintings {{DEFAULTSORT:Bol, Ferdinand 1616 births 1680 deaths Dutch Golden Age printmakers Dutch etchers Dutch Golden Age painters Dutch male painters Artists from Dordrecht Pupils of Rembrandt