Tekstblad bij een portret van Jan Scharp Possibly 1786 - 1789

This is a text leaf, or "tekstblad," by Benjamin Samuel Bolomey from 1786-1789, which accompanied a portrait of Jan Scharp, a minister in the Dutch city of Axel. The text praises Scharp's "ripe judgment, quick wit, and sound mind," and describes him as a talented poet, a patriot, and a peaceful citizen. This piece demonstrates a typical 18th-century artistic practice of combining portraiture with poetic texts, often celebrating the virtues of the depicted individual. The text is written in Dutch, the language of the Netherlands, and uses a traditional, formal style characteristic of the time. This text leaf can be found at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, Netherlands.