Introduction

Abstract

The National Gallery portrait of Constantijn Huygens painted by Thomas de Keyser in 1627, around the time of his marriage, shows a confident, cultured gentleman seated within a comfortable and elegant chamber. Attired in an expensive riding habit, Huygens sits in his study surrounded by objects which testify to the pursuits and tastes required of a leading political adviser. Turning his body a fraction to the viewer in response to an interruption by a figure described by curators as a ‘clerk’, Huygens is handed a letter. Clearly a commonplace occurrence, Huygens does not meet the messenger’s eye, marking his place with his finger on architectural plans, perhaps detailing a building project for the Dutch Stadholder (head of state), whom he serves as First Secretary. Accompanying these plans on the Turkish rug, which is draped over the table, are terrestrial and celestial globes, a pair of dividers, a pocket-watch, an inkwell, books and a stringed musical instrument festooned with midnight blue ribbon. A tapestry in the background depicts St Francis before the Sultan. These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.

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