Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Soest, Gerard
SOEST, GERARD (d. 1681), portrait-painter, is usually stated to have been born in Westphalia. It is more probable that he was, like Sir Peter Lely, a native of Soest, near Utrecht, as his portraits have some affinity to those of the Utrecht school. He appears to have been born early in the century, but nothing is known of him until 1656, when he came to London, already in some repute as a painter, and quickly obtained employment. His portraits are carefully and forcibly painted, the character of the sitter being well preserved, but his somewhat uncompromising style was tempered by a study of the works of Vandyck in order to suit the English taste. Soest might have proved a formidable rival to Lely, whose equal he certainly was in painting. He was, however, slovenly in his habits, and rough and capricious in his manners, so that ladies disliked sitting to him. Hence the majority of his portraits are of the male sex. Among these may be noted a full-length of Lord-mayor Sheldon at Drapers' Hall, a head of Dr. John Wallace at the Royal Society, one of William Fuller, bishop of Lincoln, at Christ Church, Oxford, and those of Colonel Blood and Bishop Cartwright in the National Portrait Gallery. Soest was praised by William Sanderson [q. v.] in his ‘Graphice’ (1658). In one of the notebooks of Charles Beale, husband of Mary Beale [q. v.] (now in the National Portrait Gallery), is an entry, ‘Feb. 11, 1680–1. Mr. Flessier told me of ye Death of Mr Soust ye Painter and said he beleived he was neare 80 yeares old when he died.’ His name is sometimes spelt in error Zoest or Zoust.
[Walpole's Anecdotes of Painting, ed. Wornum; De Piles's Lives of the Painters, Supplement; Redgrave's Dict. of Artists; Notes and Queries, 9th ser. i. 323.]