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Overview
Ferdinand Bol (1616–80) was a Dutch painter, etcher and draftsman. Although his surviving work is rare, it displays Rembrandt's influence; like his master, Bol favored historical subjects, portraits, numerous self-portraits, and single figures in exotic finery. By the mid-17th century, he had eclipsed Rembrandt in his popularity, receiving more official commissions than any other artist in Amsterdam, no mean feat in what surely - second only to Rome - the world art capital at this time.
With some sixteen recorded works made between 1642-51, Bol's etching constituted a small but significant aspect of his oeuvre. Almost all of them are studies of people, powerfully depicting serious men (with the exception of three presenting women), mostly older–saints or philosophers–who often seem, like Hamlet or King Lear, to be pondering the meaning of human existence. Without having the same aura as those of Rembrandt, Bol's etchings are nonetheless extremely expressive, often spiritual, executed in a bold and free manner with judicious management of light and shadow.
This etching known as The philospher is an archetypal Boll of the kind described above. An elderly, bald-headed, bearded apostle look-alike pores over a vast tome, still more ancient than himself, in complete concentration. Not just one but two globes are to his right. The figure has never been conclusively identified, hence its generic title. But this doesn't lessen the impact of this very 'Rembrandtesque' print, which is evidently quite rare. Te Papa's impression is from the third and final state.
Sources:
Spaightwood Galleries, Inc., 'Old Master Prints: Ferdinand Bol...', http://www.spaightwoodgalleries.com/Pages/Bol.html
Wikipedia, 'Ferdinand Bol', https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferdinand_Bol
Dr Mark Stocker Curator, Historical International Art September 2018