Portret van Gerardus Outhof 1705 - 1713

Pieter Schenk created this print of Gerardus Outhof around 1705. Note how the sitter is framed within an oval, surrounded by draped fabric and tassels, conferring a sense of formality and importance to the subject. Outhof, aged 34, is identified in the inscription. He was a preacher in Emden, now part of Germany, but then part of the Dutch Republic. The book and sleeping cat in the bottom left add an intimate, domestic touch, typical of Dutch Golden Age portraiture. We might ask ourselves, what was the social role of these portraits? Who was likely to commission them and why? What can they tell us about the social hierarchies of the time? As historians, we can consult period documents such as church records, guild membership lists, and tax records to enrich our understanding of the networks of patronage, artistic production, and social identities in the Dutch Republic.