Willem Bilderdijk (1756-1831)

He stands on a plinth on his right leg with the left leg forward. His head is turned slightly to the left, and he gazes thoughtfully into the distance. With his right wrist, he holds his closed cloak under his chest, while in his hand he holds a goose quill; in his hanging left hand he holds a book with his index finger between the pages. To his right is a three-sided stool with a square top (sic.), upon which lie two books next to an inkwell; beneath the books lies a curling sheet of paper, and at the back hangs a cloth. The stool resembles a Roman altar and features a swan with a curved neck on each corner, and on the side in relief a lyre. Bilderdijk has short, curly hair and sideburns. He wears a wide cloak with broad lapels, a collar slightly raised at the back, and sleeves turned up at the bottom; beneath this, a frock coat with large buttons and a waistcoat, both with standing collars.