Margarita Trip as Minerva, Instructing her Sister Anna Maria Trip

About this artwork

drager: hoogte 208 cm x breedte 179 cm

Art Historical Context

Ferdinand Bol painted this grand allegorical portrait in 1663 during the height of the Dutch Golden Age. The large oil on canvas depicts Margarita Trip as Minerva, the Roman goddess of wisdom, gently instructing her sister Anna Maria Trip. Bol, a former pupil of Rembrandt, brings the scene to life with rich colors and dramatic lighting that highlight the sisters’ elegant figures and the symbolic attributes of learning. At over two meters tall, the work was clearly intended as a statement piece for the wealthy Trip family, whose mercantile success helped define Amsterdam’s prosperity. By casti...

About the Artist

Ferdinand Bol · 1616–1680

As a very young man, Bol moved to Amsterdam, where he worked under the direction of Rembrandt, with whom he formed a friendship. Comment on works: Religious; History; Portraits