# Portrait of Gerard Pietersz Hulft (1621-1656), First Councilor and Director-General of the Dutch East India Company

- By: Govert Flinck (Cleves, 1615–1660)
- Date: 1654
- Medium: canvas, oil paint (paint)
- Classification: painting
- Dimensions: outer size: depth 8 cm (support incl. frame)
- Credit line: Jonkvrouw S.J.M. Hulft - Baroness Taets van Amerongen Bequest
- Museum: [Rijksmuseum](https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/en/collection/object/SK-A-3103--f5f25f7122515c04d795234e0f843442)
- Rights: [Public Domain Mark](http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/)
- Picture: https://iiif.micr.io/LwVCJ/full/!1920,1080/0/default.jpg
- Who can see it: Teens profiles and older (museums give no ratings; placed by Invisible Network from the museum's own words)

Gerard Pietersz Hulft by Govert Flinck, 1654. Gerard Hulft (1621-1656) was in command of the VOC fleet that attacked the trading town of Colombo on Ceylon (Sri Lanka) in 1655, driving out the Portuguese. By forming an alliance with the ruler of the kingdom of Kandy in the interior, the Dutch managed to defeat the Portuguese, although Hulft was to die in the final days of the siege of Colombo. Before leaving for Asia, Hulft had this portrait painted. He is surrounded by attributes that befitted a Company official: a 'factuerboeck' for the accounts, legal works by Grotius (Hugo de Groot), treaties with England, plans of fortifications and navigational instruments.