Double Portrait of Isaac Pontanus and Hendrik van Beek

Michiel van Musscher (signed by artist), 1689

In the past, important events were graced with a medal, especially in well-to-do families. The occasion for this was usually a birth, wedding, or death. These medals not only remained in the family as a memento, but were also given to the guests at the baptism, wedding party, or funeral. Sometimes they were purely private in character, such as the gold medal a grandfather gave to his grandson.

  • Artwork typepainting
  • Object numberNG-2008-40
  • Dimensionsdiameter 9 cm
  • Physical characteristicsoil on tin

Identification

  • Title(s)

    Double Portrait of Isaac Pontanus and Hendrik van Beek

  • Object type

  • Object number

    NG-2008-40

  • Description

    Dubbelportret met rechts een man, de remonstrantse dominee Isaac Pontanus, in paarse jas met witte bef die met linkerhand gouden penning geeft aan jongen, zijn kleinzoon Henricus van Beek, die ter rechterzijde van hem zit en die de penning met zijn rechterhand aanneemt; de rechterhand van de man rust op de schouder van de jongen, die zelf zijn linkerhand voor zijn borst houdt. Rond, klein schilderij op (vermoedelijk) verzilverd messing.

  • Inscriptions / marks

    signature and date: ‘....usscher. / ..nxit / 1689 [M. van Musscher. / Pinxit (Ao) 1689]’


Creation

  • Creation

    painter: Michiel van Musscher (signed by artist), Amsterdam

  • Dating

    1689

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Material and technique

  • Physical description

    oil on tin

  • Dimensions

    diameter 9 cm


This work is about

  • Person

  • Subject

  • Place

  • Period

    1675 - 1700


Acquisition and rights

  • Credit line

    Gift of the Vereniging Rembrandt

  • Acquisition

    gift 2008-04

  • Copyright

  • Provenance

    …; donated by Isaac Pontanus (1625-1710) to his grandson Hendrik van Beek (1680-1718), 1688; his mother, Catharina Pontanus(1656-1718), 1718; her sisters, Magdalena Pontanus (1661-1720) and Sara Pontanus (1663-1719); by whom bequeathed to the Remonstrants Church Rotterdam, 1720-1981; stolen from the Remonstrants Church Rotterdam, 1981; …; purchased from the dealer P. de Boer, Amsterdam, by the museum, as a gift from the Vereniging Rembrandt, with support from TEFAF and the Remonstrants Church Rotterdam, 2008 {Provenance reconstructed in Van der Ham, 2010}

  • Remarks

    Please note that this provenance was formulated with a special focus on provenance research for the years 1933-45 and could therefore be incomplete. There may be more (mostly earlier) provenance information known in the museum. In case this item has an uncertain or incomplete provenance for the years 1933-45, the Rijksmuseum welcomes information and assistance in the investigation and clarification of the provenance of all works during that era.


Documentation

    • Documentatiemap NG: artikel Luijt 2009.
    • Gijs van der Ham, 'Isaac Pontanus en zijn kleinzoon Hendrik van Beek', Bulletin van de Vereniging Rembrandt 19 (2009) nr. 1, p. 18-20,
    • Gijs van der Ham, “De dominee en zijn kleinzoon. Verhaal van een familie”, in: Honderdtweede Jaarboek van het Genootschap Amstelodamum (2010), pp. 36-61
    • Rijksmuseum Amsterdam Jaarverslag 2008, afb. p. 94-95.
    • J. Luijt, 'Een schilderijtje met een gouden penning', De Beeldenaar (2009) 1, p. 47-48 met afb.

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