Wybrand de Geest

Wybrand de Geest (1592-1661) was the portrait painter of 17th-century high society. With an unerring eye for detail, the Frisian artist brought the wealth of his models to life: soft velvet, rustling brocade, and glittering jewels.

The exhibition sheds new light on De Geest’s portraits, which are normally housed in the Royal Palace Amsterdam. During his artistic career, De Geest gained influences and craftsmanship from Utrecht, Den Bosch, Paris, Aix-en-Provence, and Rome, before settling back in Friesland. Lidwien Wösten has meticulously restored Wybrand de Geest’s oeuvre with a delicate hand. Underneath the old layers of varnish and earlier repainting, she discovered a new element in De Geest’s work: an impressive Persian carpet in the portrait of Sophia Hedwig.

Cover image: Wybrand de Geest, Groepsportret van vier graven van Nassau-Dietz, ca 1625-1634. Fries Museum, Leeuwarden | Collectie Koninklijk Fries Genootschap