Man in 17e-eeuwse kledij met hoed, schort en mes 1738 - 1770

Hendrik van Velthoven made this chalk drawing of a man in 17th-century garb sometime in the 18th century. The man’s clothing is rendered carefully, from his wide-brimmed hat to his baggy breeches, apron, and the knife hanging at his side. But let’s consider the drawing in its own time, the 1700s. By then the Dutch Golden Age of the 1600s was long past. How might we interpret van Velthoven's interest in depicting historical dress? We know that the 18th century was a time of increasing interest in history and collecting. Costume books were popular, as were portraits in historical dress. Aristocrats sometimes posed for paintings dressed in the styles of previous centuries. Perhaps this drawing was part of a similar project, an antiquarian interest in preserving the memory of a bygone era. Historians can consult costume books, portraits, inventories, and other documents to better understand this work and the culture that produced it.