Artwork
Gerrit Sichterman (1688-1730). Quartermaster-General of the Cavalry, Colonel of the Oranje-Groningen Infantry Regiment, Commandant of Grave
Gerrit Sichterman (1688-1730). Quartermaster-General of the Cavalry, Colonel of the Oranje-Groningen Infantry Regiment, Commandant of Grave is an oil painting by the Rococo painting artist Cornelis Troost. It dates from 1725 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
About this work
Overview
Cornelis Troost’s 1725 oil portrait presents Gerrit Sichterman (1688‑1730), a high‑ranking Dutch officer. The composition places the sitter in a blue coat edged with gold embroidery, a red vest and a black tricorn hat, while he holds a sword and gestures with his left hand against a sky filled with clouds and a distant water scene.
Subject & Meaning
Sichterman is shown in full military regalia, emphasizing his roles as Quartermaster‑General of the Cavalry, colonel of the Oranje‑Groningen Infantry Regiment, and commandant of Grave. The pointed finger and sword convey authority and readiness, while the dramatic backdrop suggests the broader responsibilities of command and the turbulent era in which he served.
Technique & Style
Executed in oil on canvas, Troost employs the light, elegant brushwork typical of the Rococo period, balancing rich coloration with delicate modeling. The gold embroidery and sheen of the fabrics are rendered with fine highlights, and the atmospheric sky is softened through layered glazes, creating a sense of depth and movement.
History & Provenance
The portrait was painted in 1725, shortly before Sichterman’s death in 1730. It entered the collection of the Rijksmuseum, where it remains on display as part of the museum’s holdings of 18th‑century Dutch portraiture, documenting the visual culture of the Dutch military elite.
Context
Troost’s work aligns with a broader Dutch tradition of military portraiture, echoing the style of contemporaries who depicted officers with similar compositional elements—uniform detail, symbolic weaponry, and expansive skies—to convey status and the martial virtues prized in the early Enlightenment Netherlands.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Cornelis Troost (8 October 1696 – 7 March 1750) was a Dutch actor and painter from Amsterdam.
