Portrait of Cornelis Apostool

Paulus Joseph Gabriël (1784-1834), marble, c. 1817

Apostool was the first director of the Koninklijke Museum in Amsterdam, forerunner of the Rijksmuseum. His portrait was sculpted by the royal sculptor Paulus Gabriël, who chose a Classical form whereby Apostool’s head appears to emerge naturally from a block of stone. This type of portrait, known as a herm, was used mainly for artists and art lovers.

  • Artwork typesculpture
  • Object numberBK-B-12
  • Dimensionsheight 56.5 cm x width 24.7 cm x depth 23.0 cm
  • Physical characteristicsmarmer