Ferdinand Bol Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Ferdinand Bol
Self-portrait by Ferdinand Bol
Born	(1616-06-24)24 June 1616 Dordrecht, Netherlands
Died	24 August 1680(1680-08-24) (aged 64) Herengracht, Netherlands
Nationality	Dutch
Known for	Painting, Etching, draftsman
Notable work	Portrait of Elisabeth Bas

Ferdinand Bol (born June 24, 1616 – died August 24, 1680) was a talented Dutch artist. He was a painter, an etcher (who made art by scratching designs onto metal), and a draftsman (who made drawings). Bol was greatly influenced by his teacher, the famous artist Rembrandt. Like Rembrandt, Bol loved to paint historical scenes, portraits of people, and even many pictures of himself. He also painted single figures dressed in interesting, fancy clothes.

Life as an Artist
Becoming a Successful Painter
Later Life
Gallery of Selected Works
See also

Life as an Artist

Ferdinand Bol was born in a Dutch city called Dordrecht. His father, Balthasar Bol, was a surgeon. Ferdinand first learned about art from other painters. He was an apprentice (a student learning a skill) with Jacob Cuyp in his hometown. He might also have studied with Abraham Bloemaert in Utrecht.

After 1630, Bol moved to Amsterdam. He became a student of the very famous painter, Rembrandt. Bol even lived in Rembrandt's house for a while. This house was on a popular street where many artists and craftspeople lived. In 1641, Ferdinand Bol opened his own art studio.

Becoming a Successful Painter

In 1652, Ferdinand Bol became a "burgher" of Amsterdam. This meant he was an official citizen of the city. In 1653, he married Elisabeth Dell. Her father worked for important groups in Amsterdam, like the city's navy department (the Admiralty) and the wine merchants' guild. These connections helped Bol get many important painting jobs later on.

Within a few years, Bol became a leader in the painters' guild. He was asked to create large paintings for the new town hall in Amsterdam. He also made four more paintings for the Admiralty building.

Around this time, Bol was a very popular and successful painter. His paintings became brighter and his figures looked more elegant. He received more official art jobs than almost any other artist in Amsterdam. A famous painter named Godfrey Kneller was one of his students. Bol also painted four pictures for the two large homes of the Trip brothers, who were also from Dordrecht.

Later Life

Bol's first wife passed away in 1660. In 1669, he married for a second time to Anna van Erckel. She was the widow of an important official from the Admiralty. After this marriage, it seems Bol stopped painting.

In 1672, Ferdinand and Anna moved to a new part of the city. Their house is now the Museum Van Loon. Bol also helped his community by serving as a governor at a home for people with leprosy. Ferdinand Bol died in August 1680, just a few weeks after his wife. He passed away at the home of his son, who was a lawyer.

One of his most famous paintings is a portrait of Elisabeth Bas. She was the wife of a naval officer and ran an inn near the main square in Amsterdam. For a long time, many of Bol's paintings, including this one, were mistakenly thought to be painted by Rembrandt.