Portrait of a Man

Portraits painted in America during the 17th and early 18th centuries provide glimpses into colonists' lives and aspirations, even when the identity of the sitter is unknown. The subject of this painting wears an expensive banyan, or dressing gown, an informal garment worn at home. In portraits from this period, the banyan signified that the wearer was intellectual and contemplative. By contrast, the wig and gloves, which were worn outside, indicate that this man had a public life as well. By combining these costume elements, the artist Gerrit Duyckinck suggests that his sitter has achieved a balance between quiet reflection and worldliness.

Duyckinck was born in New Amsterdam shortly before the English wrested the colony from Holland and renamed it New York. By the 1680s he had a thriving career painting portraits and signboards. Duyckinck followed the Dutch Baroque tradition of portraiture, using contrasts of light and dark to provide the image with a sense of depth, as seen in the contour of the sitter's face.