Maria Swartenhont

Maria Swartenhont was the daughter of two well-known residents of Amsterdam: Elisabeth Bas and Jochem Swartenhont. Jochem Swartenhont was a famous naval captain; later in life the couple opened a tavern together. It was a popular venue in fashionable circles: 'The Prince of Orange', on the corner of Nes and Pieter Jacobszstraat. Maria married Maerten Rey and had three children with him. She died in 1631, aged 33. Her children were then adopted and brought up by Maria's mother, Elisabeth Bas who was sixty years old and a widow by then. A counterpartPendantThe word pendant comes from the Latin 'pendere', meaning to hang. A pendant is a counterpart: a painting intended to hand together with its pair. They are often of the same format and with identical frames. Most pairs of paintings feature married couples. Sometimes, indeed, the background continues from one painting to the next. The word 'pendant' can also be used for sculptures, pieces of furniture and other objects that are made in pairs. to Maria's portrait exists, portraying her husband. The Rijksmuseum collection also includes portraits of her parents, her daughter Maria Rey and her son-in-law Roelof Meulenaer.