Wednesday, August 10, 2005



It feels special to live so close to the house of Rembrandt. And it is hard to imagine that the greatest painter in art history has lived around the corner. As I pass Remrandt house I can see a huge billboard on the facade of the building announcing an exhibition about the Ter Borch family. I estimate that the poster is five meters high. The original drawing is only 90 x 67 mm which is the size of a notebook sleeve with a shopping list. It is a 'self portrait with open mouth' by Moses ter Borch, the youngest son of the family. The fact that a small sketch can be enlarged so much and still holds it strength, proofs the quality of this art. It was drawn when Moses was only 15 years old. One can see a smiling face of a boy with round checks, turned-up nose and long curly hair under his small skullcap. The face might look rounder as he made use of a curved mirror. It is touching to see a portrait of a person that looks like a child but drawn with skills of a mature master. The drawing has been made on bluegrey paper with black chalk and a few white highlights. Moses surely was a promising talent and it was good that he started so young. At the age of 22 he was killed in a sea battle on the english coast

www.edgarportraits.com