Philip van Dijk (1683 - 1753)

Philip van Dijk

Philip van Dijk was a Dutch portrait painter and collector of paintings.

In 1718 van Dijk moved to The Hague, where he became famous as an outstanding portrait painter of the Dutch elite, but he also created genre works. In 1725 van Dijk was appointed court painter to the Landgrave-Prince of Hesse-Kassel, whom he also assisted in his collecting - an important position, as the Landgrave was one of the wealthiest and most enthusiastic collectors of the time.

Van Dijk's masterpiece is a group portrait of the Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel and members of his large family, still preserved in Kassel. Philip van Dijk advised collectors of paintings and was himself an active collector: by the end of his life he had a collection of 165 works by leading masters, including Rembrandt's The Unbelief of St. Thomas of 1634.

Philip van Dijk was a member of the Guild of St. Luke's in Middelburg, but joined the Confrerie Pictura in The Hague.