Lot 179: Portrait of Hendrik Thiebaut, three-quarter-length, in black, his left hand resting on a copy of the Bible, an open copy of Annales et Histoires des Troubles du Pais-Bas on the table in front of him, a draped curtain and coastal landscape beyond

Pieter Nason (The Hague 1612-1688/90)
Portrait of Hendrik Thiebaut, three-quarter-length, in black, his left hand resting on a copy of the Bible, an open copy of Annales et Histoires des Troubles du Pais-Bas on the table in front of him, a draped curtain and coastal landscape beyond
signed and dated 'PNason f/1664' (PN linked, lower right)
oil on canvas
48¼ x 38 in. (122.5 x 96.5 cm.)

Beel(aerts?)-van Blokland, The Hague.
De M.E.A.; his sale, Frederik Muller, Amsterdam, 23 February 1904, lot 27.
Anonymous sale; Frederik Muller, Amsterdam, 12 April 1920.
(Probably) Geheimrat Regierungsrat Felix Schwabach;
Henrietta Schwabach (née Speyer); (+) Mandelbaum and Kronthal, Berlin, 1 April 1936, lot 74.
Private collection, circa 1947-2004.

The sitter was Lord of St. Aagtekerke, Knight of St. Michael, and was appointed Burgomaster and Steward of the West Schelde and Zeeland in 1634, the year this portrait was painted. The seascape in the background refers to his ties to Zeeland and more specifically to his prominent role as Governor of the Dutch East India Company. He holds a Bible under his left arm, while the open book on the table is a copy of Hugo Grotius's Annales et Histoires des Troubles du Pays-Bas, which covers the history of the Dutch Wars of Independence, and symbolises the sitter's committment to and diligence in his official posts.