Portrait of Gerard Cornelis van Riebeeck

The regent Gerard van Riebeeck oozes status. He is portrayed in front of Essesteijn, his country estate in Voorburg, where this painting along with the pendant of his wife Charlotte Strick van Linschoten (adjacent) hung as part of a portrait series that underscored the families’ prestige. Van Riebeeck wears a gold brocade waistcoat and matching cuffs. The abundance of buttons
embellishing his attire, many of which serve no practical purpose, is striking.