Artwork

Caritas: Johanna de Geer (1629-91) with her children Cecilia Trip (1660-1728) and Laurens Trip (b 1662)

Caritas: Johanna de Geer (1629-91) with her children Cecilia Trip (1660-1728) and Laurens Trip (b 1662) is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Ferdinand Bol. It dates from 1664 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.

About this work

Overview

Ferdinand Bol’s oil on canvas, dated around 1664, portrays Johanna de Geer together with her children Cecilia and Laurens Trip. The work is signed “fBol · fecit·” and is held by the Rijksmuseum, though it is displayed on long‑term loan at the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences in Amsterdam.

Subject & Meaning

The composition presents the mother in a red gown cradling her younger child, while the older son sits nearby with a dog. The serene expression and gentle gestures suggest the allegorical theme of Caritas, linking the family’s affection to the virtue of charitable love.

Technique & Style

Bol employs a pronounced chiaroscuro, using a soft, focused light to illuminate the faces against a darker backdrop. The atmospheric sky behind the figures glows with gold and red tones, creating a dramatic yet intimate setting that enhances the three‑dimensionality of the figures.

History & Provenance

Created in the mid‑1660s, the portrait entered the Rijksmuseum’s collection before being placed on extended loan to the Academy. Its provenance traces back to the de Geer family, who commissioned the work to commemorate their lineage.

Context

The painting reflects the Dutch Golden Age’s interest in combining portraiture with moral allegory. Bol, a pupil of Rembrandt, adapts his master’s dramatic lighting while focusing on the domestic virtues prized by the mercantile elite of 17th‑century Amsterdam.