Artwork

Portrait of Michiel Comans (d. 1687), calligrapher, etcher, painter and schoolmaster, with his third wife Elisabeth van der Mersche

Portrait of Michiel Comans (d. 1687), calligrapher, etcher, painter and schoolmaster, with his third wife Elisabeth van der Mersche is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Michiel van Musscher. It dates from 1669 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.

About this work

Subject & Meaning

The painting depicts Michiel Comans, identified as a calligrapher, etcher, painter, and schoolmaster, alongside his third wife, Elisabeth van der Mersche.

The painting depicts Michiel Comans, identified as a calligrapher, etcher, painter, and schoolmaster, alongside his third wife, Elisabeth van der Mersche. Created in 1669 by Michiel van Musscher, the work functions as a double portrait that highlights the professional identity of the sitter alongside his domestic life. The inclusion of Comans's specific vocational titles in the artwork's classification underscores the importance of his multifaceted career as a central element of the composition.

By presenting the couple together, the portrait serves to commemorate their union while simultaneously asserting Comans's status within the intellectual and artistic community of the period.

Technique & Style

Executed in 1669, this portrait is an oil painting on canvas. The work measures 71 cm in height and 63 cm in width. As a formal portrait, the composition depicts two figures, identified as the calligrapher Michiel Comans and his wife Elisabeth van der Mersche.

The piece is classified within the genre of portraiture and is currently held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.

History & Provenance

Michiel van Musscher created the oil-on-canvas portrait of Michiel Comans and his third wife, Elisabeth van der Mersche, in 1669. The work depicts the calligrapher, etcher, painter, and schoolmaster alongside his spouse, executed in oil paint on canvas with dimensions of 71 by 63 cm. It is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum. No specific inventory or accession number is provided in the available sources, and no exhibition history is documented.

Overview

Created in 1669, this oil painting by Michiel van Musscher portrays Michiel Comans, a late‑17th‑century calligrapher, etcher, painter and schoolmaster, together with his third wife, Elisabeth van der Mersche. The work is part of the Rijksmuseum’s collection and presents the couple in a domestic interior, surrounded by books, papers and artistic tools.

Context

In the Dutch Golden Age, portraiture often combined personal likeness with indicators of profession and status. This work reflects that tradition, situating Comans, a multi‑talented artist and educator, within his working environment, while also presenting his wife as an educated companion, a motif common among affluent burgher families of the period.