Portrait of Cornelis Apostool, Paulus Joseph Gabriël, c. 1817
marble (rock), h c.56.5cm × w c.24.7cm × d c.23cm More details
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.
