Abraham van der Doort

Who was Abraham van der Doort?

Abraham van der Doort was a Dutch artist. As Keeper of Charles I's art collections, he was the first Surveyor of the King's Pictures.

Van der Doort's careworn face is familiar from a portrait and engravings held by the National Portrait Gallery in London, but little is known of his early life: indeed, his date of birth is not known with any certainty. He was probably the son of Peter van Do[o]rt, an engraver of Dutch descent who was working in Hamburg in the early years of the 17th century, a member of a family of Dutch craftsmen that also specialised in the design and manufacture of coins and medals. Abraham van der Doort probably came to England around 1609, a few years after James I became King of England. Van der Doort came into the service of Charles' elder brother, Prince Henry. After Henry's early death in 1612, his collection of paintings, medals, coins and other objets d'art was inherited by Charles, and van der Doort accompanied the collection into Charles' service. After Charles succeeded his father as king in 1625, van der Doort became Charles' Groom of the Chamber, Surveyor of the King's Pictures; he designed new coins for the Royal Mint.