Portrait of Pieter Six with a Servant Bearing Hunting Booty, 1677

About the Work

Caspar Netscher portrayed Dutch ‘high society’. Although often painted by the same compositional formula, his small portraits possess a distinctly elegant quality. Pieter Six was the nephew of Rembrandt’s patron Jan Six. At twenty-two, he was just embarking on his career when he commissioned this likeness. Artworks, precious fabrics and an Oriental rug testify to his wealth. The two dead partridges in the servant’s hand are also a status symbol. Hunting was a privilege associated with a title of nobility, which could be purchased by rich burghers.