Here’s my favorite portrait from the Rijksmuseum. There are a number of interesting things that Gerard Bicker, the 20-year-old son of a spice trader in 1642, can tell us about his era.
For one thing, look at how perfect his skin is. This might not be just an artistic liberty. Cosmetics were popular among the younger merchant generation; many families had their own recipes for face powder. This is probably because childhood smallpox was so widespread and a lot of people wanted to hide the scars.
For another, we tend to think of obesity as a modern phenomenon, but it was apparently quite common among the nouveau-riche of 17th-century Amsterdam.
Gerard’s portrait is especially fascinating when compared to that of his father (hanging on the opposite wall in the gallery). His father, Andries, head of the influential Bicker family, wears a sober black mantle and an old-fashioned ruff collar. Gerard is all brightly-colored and lacy and holding kidskin gloves. It makes for a very visual generation gap.
