The man depicted here, with the austere sideward gaze, is Cornelis Apostool. He was director of the Royal Museum when this portrait was made, in 1817. The sculptor, Paul Joseph Gabriël, presented his subject in the form of a herm bust: a head with bare neck and chest, cut vertically on four sides. This type of bust was reserved almost exclusively for portraits of artists and patrons of the arts. Originally an artist, Cornelis Apostool spent some years in Italy before pursuing a career in the civil service. Gabriël had also been to Italy, working in Rome where he came under the influence of the sculptor Antonio Canova. It was the latter's classical style that inspired this serene portrait by Gabriël.
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