Group portrait of a Mennonite family from the Zaanstreek

Formerly attributed to Jan Miense Molenaer, presumably on the basis of the partial signature, this fascinating family portrait is now given to a northern Dutch painter of whom very little is known; the most comprehensive study of his work can be found in a 1969 article by Bernard Renckens (op. cit.)

The façade of the building on the right displays the coat-of-arms of Amsterdam above the central window, and above the second row of windows, an unusual detail: a bust of a man with a turban. Renckens proposes that the figure might indicate the profession of the head of the family depicted, for example as a trader in foreign goods. At some point in the 20th Century, a sculpture of a man was added to the plinth on the upper left corner of the building, and subsequently removed.

Jan Duyvetter, former head of the Traditional Costumes department at the Nederlands Openluchtmuseum in Arnhem, proposed that the family might be from the Zaan region on the basis of similar portraits in Zaandijk, their sober attire and austere demeanour perhaps reflective of their Anabaptist faith (see Renckens, op. cit.). A similar painting by the artist was sold at Christie’s, South Kensington, 10 May 1990, lot 105.