TER BORCH (or TERBURG), GERARD (1617-1681), Dutch subject painter, was born in 1617 at Zwolle, Holland. He received an excellent education from his father, also an artist, and developed his talent very early. The inscription on a study of a head proves that Ter Borch was at Amsterdam in 1632. In 1634 he studied under Pieter Molyn in Haarlem. A record of this Haar lem period is the "Consultation" (1635) at the Berlin gallery. In 1635 he was in London; in 1640 in Rome, when he painted the small portraits on copper of "Jan Six" and "A Young Lady" (the late Six collection, Amsterdam). In 1648 he was at Miinster during the peace congress and executed his celebrated little picture, painted upon copper, of the assembled plenipotentiaries— a work which, along with the "Guitar Lesson" and a portrait of a "Man Standing," now represents the master in the National Gal lery in London. The picture was presented to the nation by Sir Richard Wallace. At this time Ter Borch was invited to visit Madrid, where he received employment and the honour of knight hood from Philip IV., but, in consequence of an intrigue, it is said, he was obliged to return to Holland. He seems to have resided for
a time in Haarlem; but he finally settled in Deventer, where he became a member of the town council. He died at Deventer on Dec. 8, 1681.
Ter Borch is excellent as a portrait painter, but still greater as a painter of genre subjects. He depicts with admirable truth the life of the wealthy and cultured classes of his time. His colouring is clear and rich, but his best skill lies in his unequalled rendering of texture in draperies, which is seen to advantage in such pic tures as the "Letter" in the Dutch royal collection, and in the "Paternal Advice" (known as the "Satin Gown")—engraved by Wille—which exists in various repetitions at Berlin and Amster dam, and in the Bridgewater gallery. Hofstede de Groot enumer ates 464 works by Ter Borch. Seven of these are at the Hermi tage, I 2 at the Berlin museum, seven at the Louvre ; six at the Dresden museum, two at the Wallace collection and 15 at the Amsterdam museum.