Gerard Andriesz Bicker (1622-66), Lord of Engelenburg. High Bailiff of Muiden

Around 1642 Van der Helst portrayed the Bicker family of Amsterdam, and this is the son. Andries Bicker, his father, was a rich merchant and one of the most powerful men in the city, and the two portraits were painted on panels of almost identical size, clearly as a pair. The Rijksmuseum points to the contrast between the generations. Andries wears sober black with an old-fashioned ruff. Gerard, about 20, has a flat lace collar, salmon-pink velvet and a pair of soft leather gloves in his hand. Both stand with one hand on the hip, equally self-assured. The heavy young heir would never match the older man in public office. In 1848 the family portraits were auctioned. The museum bought father and son, while the mother's portrait went to a dealer and ended up in Dresden, where it still hangs.