Portrait of a Gentleman 1680

Caspar Netscher’s ‘Portrait of a Gentleman,’ was painted with oil on canvas. Netscher mastered the textures of costly fabrics: the gentleman’s patterned robe seems almost touchable, and the delicate lace at his neck is especially convincing. The precise application of paint mimics the laborious production of actual textiles, traded and worn as signs of wealth and status. Note also the sword at the sitter's side, a necessary accessory of the time, which speaks to the owner’s position as a gentleman and soldier. Netscher’s skill invites us to consider the immense amount of work required to make these fine goods, and the social structures that enabled their consumption. While we may admire the artistry, we should also remember the many hands that created these objects, and the system of labor that made them available to Netscher’s well-to-do patron. This painting therefore reminds us that art never exists in isolation from broader economies of production.