Art! Art! Art! › Works

Jan Gerritsz. van Egmond, bailli de Nieuwburg

Jacob Cornelisz. van Oostsanen, 1516

Jacob Cornelisz. van Oostsanen's portrait of Jan Gerritsz. van Egmond, bailli de Nieuwburg, dates from 1516 and belongs to the Department of Paintings of the Louvre. It is a small, close-range likeness of a regional official, made by one of the leading painters working in Amsterdam in the early sixteenth century.

Where to see it

The portrait is held by the Department of Paintings of the Louvre, and its recorded location is Louvre Museum storage. This means it may not be on public display. Check the Louvre's official website, or contact the museum, for current display status before you plan a visit around this work.

What to look for in person

An intimate format

The panel measures 46.5 by 35 cm, a little smaller than a sheet of newspaper. This modest size was common for private portraits in the Low Countries at the time. Such works were made to be seen up close in a home rather than across a large hall. If you are able to see it, stand near enough to view it as its first owners would have. At this distance you can follow the fine handling of skin, hair and fabric that painters of this tradition were known for.

A named official, not an anonymous face

The title identifies the sitter by name and by office: Jan Gerritsz. van Egmond, bailiff of Nieuwburg. A bailiff was a local official who acted for a lord or ruler, especially in matters of justice and administration. That role gives a clue to how a portrait like this worked. It recorded a specific person and his public standing. As you look, notice how the painter presents the sitter's dress, bearing and expression. These were the main ways such portraits signalled rank and character.

A dated work from a key moment

The portrait is dated 1516, during the middle of Jacob Cornelisz.'s career. In these years, Netherlandish painting still kept its native traditions of exact observation, while some artists were also starting to respond to new influences. Use the date as a reference point. Compare this work with other early sixteenth-century Netherlandish portraits in the Louvre's collection. Look for how the likeness is set against its background, and how the painter balances careful detail with an overall sense of the sitter's presence.

About the painting

Jacob Cornelisz. van Oostsanen was a painter and designer of woodcuts who ran a busy workshop in Amsterdam in the early sixteenth century. His name refers to Oostzaan, a village north of Amsterdam that is generally given as his place of origin. He is best known for religious paintings and for many woodcut designs. He also painted portraits of people from the region, and this work is one of them. He is often noted as the early teacher of Jan van Scorel, who went on to bring Italian ideas into Netherlandish painting.

The portrait shows Jan Gerritsz. van Egmond, whom the title calls bailiff of Nieuwburg. The title as recorded is partly in French, the language of the Louvre's catalogue. It names the man and the office that defined his public role. The painting is dated 1516 and measures 46.5 by 35 cm. That is a size suited to private viewing and typical of portraits from this region and period.

For visitors, the main interest is the chance to look closely at a Northern Renaissance portrait of a known individual. Painters in this tradition were valued for capturing a person's features and clothing with patience and precision. The small scale invites slow, close looking. Today the work belongs to the Department of Paintings of the Louvre, and its recorded location is the museum's storage. Anyone hoping to see it should check the Louvre's official website for current display information before visiting.

Key facts

Sources

• Wikidata Q29649006
• www.louvre.fr
• contact.louvre.fr