Gerard ter Borch the Elder

Gerard ter Borch the Elder (* between 1582 and 1584 in Zwolle , † April 20, 1662 in Zwolle) was a Dutch painter and draftsman .

Father of the famous Gerard ter Borch , who is often referred to as Gerard ter Borch the Younger. As the son of a respected family, he had an early desire to become a painter. He was trained by Arent van Bolten, who mainly worked as a draftsman and silversmith . Early on, from 1602 to 1611, his artistic studies took him to Italy, where he studied the architecture and sculptures of classical antiquity . His drawings of landscapes and cityscapes of Naples and Rome from this period show a great talent. After his return to Holland he drew and painted mostly biblical, mythological and also erotic pictures. By 1612 at the latest he can be traced back to Zwolle, where he married Anna Bufkens. In 1621 he married Geesken van Voerst, in 1628 he married Wiesken Matthys, his third marriage. Around 1635 he largely gave up his artistic activities and took on high public offices. To compensate for this, he taught his children the art of drawing. Four of his children, Gerard , Gesina , Harmen and Moses also embarked on an artistic career.

Gerard ter Borch the Elder Ä. worked mainly as a draftsman and left only a few paintings.

Selected Works

The Sacrifice of Abraham, 1618–1619

• Zwolle, Provinciaal Overijssels Museum
  • The sacrifice of Abraham. 1618
• Zwolle, Provinciehuis
  • Family portrait in a landscape. (Collaboration with Barend Graat)

Web links

Commons : Gerard ter Borch the Elder  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Cornelis Hosted de Groos Catalog raisonné of the most eminent Dutch painters of the seventeenth century, Vol. V, Gerard der Borch the Younger, pp. 1-145