Today, we added a portrait of Michiel Servaesz. Nouts (1628 – 1693). He was Amsterdam’s town musician and worked as an artist. This beautiful print of Nouts was made by Jan Braet von Überfeldt (1807-1894) around 1850. Although Braet von Überfeldt had no idea he made a portrait of Nouts… On the contrary! He thought he made a portrait of the famous architect Jacob van Campen (1596 – 1657) after the painting by Bartholomeus van der Helst (1613 – 1670). This attribution is currently rejected. The painting – currently attributed to Lodewijk van der Helst (1642 – 1693) – depicts Michiel Servaesz. Nouts (1628 – 1693). The Amsterdam town hall, where Nouts served as carillonneur, is visible in the background of the image. It is quite possible this lead people to believe it was a portrait of Jacob van Campen in the first place, as he designed the Amsterdam town hall.
Not everything is what it seems…
28 July in history
At The Online Portrait Gallery, we want to give history a face. Are you curious to find out more about this day in history? Please find some highlights below.