Artwork
The family of Dirck Bas Jacobsz, burgomaster of Amsterdam
The family of Dirck Bas Jacobsz, burgomaster of Amsterdam is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Dirck van Santvoort. It dates from 1635 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
As a civic group portrait, it emphasizes the sitter’s social rank, marital alliance, and the continuity of his lineage within the urban elite.
The work portrays Dirck Bas Jacobsz, a prominent Amsterdam burgomaster, together with his wife Grietje Jansdr. Snoek and their daughter Agatha Bas, forming a three‑generation family group. As a civic group portrait, it emphasizes the sitter’s social rank, marital alliance, and the continuity of his lineage within the urban elite.
The inclusion of his wife and child functions symbolically to display domestic stability and the transmission of family heritage, reflecting the values of wealth, status, and public responsibility characteristic of 17th‑century Amsterdam merchant families.
Technique & Style
Created in 1635, this group portrait is executed in oil paint on a canvas support. The work measures 136 cm in height and 251 cm in width, accommodating the depiction of Dirck Bas Jacobsz, his family, and associates. As a formal group portrait by Dirck van Santvoort, the painting adheres to the stylistic conventions of Dutch Golden Age portraiture, utilizing the medium to render the figures and their attire within a cohesive composition.
History & Provenance
The painting was created in 1635 by Dirck van Santvoort as a group portrait depicting the family of Dirck Bas, including Grietge Jansdr. Snoeck and Agatha Bas. It was executed in oil paint on canvas, measuring 136 cm in height by 251 cm in width.
The work later passed into the ownership of Johanna Balguerie-Van Rijswijk, and is now held jointly by the Rijksmuseum and the Amsterdam Museum.
The painting is held in the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, where it remains in the permanent collection.
It carries Rijksmuseum inventory number SK-C-1248 and is recorded as a group portrait depicting Dirck Bas Jacobsz, his family, Grietge Jansdr. Snoeck, and Agatha Bas.
Overview
Dirck van Santvoort completed The family of Dirck Bas Jacobsz, burgomaster of Amsterdam in 1635, an oil painting depicting the prominent Amsterdam family. This group portrait, now housed at the Rijksmuseum, captures the burgomaster, his wife, and their children, presenting them within a formal domestic setting. It exemplifies the Dutch Golden Age tradition of commissioning portraits to document lineage and social standing.
Artist & collection
Family Portrait
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