Question 1

True or false: Ter Borch’s father was also an artist, and his half-sister Gesina served as his model and assistant.

Accepted Answer

True. His father Gerard ter Borch the Elder was a painter, and his half-sister Gesina appears in many of his works and kept a detailed sketchbook.

Question 2

True or false: Gerard ter Borch invented the technique of painting with a silverpoint stylus on prepared paper.

Accepted Answer

False. Silverpoint was used by earlier artists like Jan van Eyck; ter Borch worked primarily in oil on canvas or panel, not silverpoint.

Question 3

True or false: He was one of the first Dutch artists to depict the texture of satin with convincing realism.

Accepted Answer

True. Ter Borch’s luminous rendering of satin, especially in women’s gowns, was revolutionary and influenced later painters like Vermeer.

Question 4

True or false: His painting 'The Swearing of the Oath of Ratification of the Treaty of Münster' is a rare example of a Dutch group portrait of diplomats.

Accepted Answer

True. Completed in 1648, this small but detailed painting shows the historic peace treaty signing and is one of his few large-scale group works.

Question 5

True or false: He taught the painter Gabriel Metsu, who later surpassed him in fame during the 17th century.

Accepted Answer

True. Ter Borch likely instructed Metsu in the 1650s, and Metsu’s refined style shows ter Borch’s influence, though Metsu’s popularity later eclipsed his teacher’s.

Question 6

True or false: Ter Borch once painted a famous group portrait of the Amsterdam city council in their meeting chamber.

Accepted Answer

False. He never painted such a large group commission; his specialty was intimate domestic scenes and small-scale portraits, not grand civic works.

Question 7

True or false: Ter Borch was a founding member of the Haarlem Guild of Saint Luke.

Accepted Answer

False. He was born in Zwolle and later worked in Deventer; he never joined the Haarlem guild, though he did visit Haarlem and knew Frans Hals.

Question 8

True or false: Ter Borch traveled to England and painted a portrait of King Charles I.

Accepted Answer

False. He did travel to England in 1635 but painted mostly family members of the court, not the king himself—no royal portrait by him exists.

Gerard ter Borch Trivia Questions