The Corpses of the De Witt Brothers

The painting, attributed to Jan de Baen, is undated and unsigned but is generally dated to the period 1672–1675, reflecting the lynching of the De Witt brothers on August 20, 1672. Although an inscription on the reverse claims the work was painted from life that same evening, art historians suggest the composition likely derives from a print by Roelant Roghman rather than direct observation. The work entered the national collection in 1802 when Alexander Gogel purchased it for nearly 1,000 guilders for the National Art Gallery in The Hague, a precursor to the Rijksmuseum.

This acquisition occurred despite objections from Cornelis Sebille Roos, who argued the piece was merely a copy and should be concealed. Shortly after the purchase, the attribution was corrected from Frans van Mieris to Jan de Baen. The painting has remained in the collection ever since, though it has occasionally been displayed only in rooms containing anatomical scenes.

Since 1802 the painting has been held by the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, where it is inventoried as SK-A-15.

It was purchased that year for the National Kunst-Galerij in The Hague by Alexander Gogel for nearly 1,000 guilders and transferred with the collection to the Rijksmuseum upon its establishment. The work was long displayed only in designated anatomy rooms out of respect for its graphic subject.

It appeared in the 2013 exhibition Denkbeeldig vaderland. Kunst en politiek in de Bataafs-Franse tijd 1795–1813 at the Rijksmuseum.

Jan de Baen's depiction of the lynched De Witt brothers occupies a singular place in Dutch Golden Age history as a document of political violence rather than traditional portraiture. While the artist was a leading portraitist in The Hague known for celebrating the brothers' earlier triumphs, this 1673 work captures the brutal aftermath of the 1672 Rampjaar. The painting's status as a primary historical record is underscored by a label on its reverse, which claims it was painted from life on the night of August 20, 1672, though some scholars argue it may be a copy after a print by Roelant Roghman.

Acquired in 1802 by Alexander Gogel for nearly 1,000 guilders, the work was immediately recognized as a highlight of the national collection, despite contemporary advice to conceal it. Its placement in the Rijksmuseum alongside anatomy scenes reflects its enduring, albeit disturbing, significance as a testament to the era's political instability.

The painting has been regarded as a highlight of the Dutch national history collection since its 1802 acquisition, and it has remained on display at the Rijksmuseum, where it is generally shown only in rooms with anatomical subjects out of deference to its disturbing effect on casual viewers. Its subject was also disseminated through a popular print by Roelant Roghman, broadening the image's reach beyond the painted canvas.

In modern popular culture, the work appeared in season 2 of the television series Killing Eve, in which the character Villanelle stages a murder replicating the painting's composition after viewing the image. The 2015 Dutch film Admiral additionally dramatizes the lynching of the De Witt brothers and depicts Jan de Baen himself immortalizing their deaths on canvas.

Jan de Baen’s oil on canvas, executed between 1672 and 1675, portrays the gruesome aftermath of a political murder. The work, now housed in Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum, captures the bodies of the De Witt brothers suspended upside down on a wooden post at the Groene Zoodje, the execution site before The Hague’s Gevangenpoort.