Portrait of Constantijn Huygens and his (?) Clerk

Constantijn Huygens was a senior diplomat who spoke several languages and had a wide knowledge of the arts and sciences. In this portrait, he’s caught in action, receiving a message from a young clerk. Interrupted in his work, he wears a riding outfit as if ready to be up and off in a moment on state business.

The items that de Keyser chose to put on Huygens’s table tell of his official duties and his many other interests and talents – there’s a chitarrone (a plucked instrument), architectural plans and a pair of terrestrial and celestial globes.

Huygens was probably the most influential figure in the cultural life of the Dutch Republic. He wrote poetry and designed gardens and knew the scientists and artists of his day, including Rembrandt. De Keyser’s portrait celebrates the spirit of the Dutch Republic in one urbane and brilliant man.

Text: © The National Gallery, London

Painting photographed in its frame by Google Arts & Culture, 2023.