(Osnabrück 1660 – 1711 London)

Portrait of a boy, probably Charles Hinde

Oil on canvas, 61 x 74,6 cm

Around 1700

Price: 22.000€

John Closterman (also Klosterman) was a portrait painter of the late 17th and early 18th century. He mainly portrayed English noblemen and European aristocratic families. His father was already an artist and he trained his son. In 1679 he went to Paris and studied under Francois de Troy. In 1681 he was in London and worked for the artist John Riley, whose studio he took over after his death. In 1696 he was invited to the Spanish court. He also travelled to Italy several times. However, he always returned to England. Examples of his work include the Marlborough family portrait and portraits of King Charles II of Spain and his wife Anne.

What is special about Closterman’s portraits is the fine capture of the sitter and the use of colour with a special brushstroke.

The sitter here could be Charles Hinde (1689-1751), who (as inscribed on the reverse) was a canon at Lincoln, rector to Cromwell at Oxford. In his hands the sitter holds the Chronological and Poetical Dictionnary, which was published in 1703 and was the first alphabetically ordered dictionary written in English.

Pierre-Alain Clostermann listed the painting as an authentic work on the Catalogue Raisonné page on the artist.

https://john.clostermann.org/oeuvres/john/portrait-probable-de-charles-hinde-enfant/