Portrait of an Elderly Woman, Seated with Astronomical Instruments

Entry

Soon after Johannes Thopas moved to Amsterdam circa 1656-57, he broadened his repertoire with a new type of portrait, depicting the sitter three-quarter length against a backdrop that shows part of an interior.⁶ As in the present sheet, a vista offered by an opening in the wall is often part of the setting, literally providing ‘background information’ on the sitter.

The glimpse of the Amsterdam Town Hall in the background of this portrait suggests that this still unidentified elderly woman probably lived at Herengracht, no. 186, 188 or 190.⁷ Although for stylistic reasons, the drawing was dated by Ekkart to the second half of the 1670s – by which time the artist was living in Assendelft rather than Amsterdam – the presumption that the drawing was made in Amsterdam implies that he still had Amsterdam clients.⁸

Clearly interested in science, the sitter is portrayed seated at a table in front of an open book, whose geometrical illustration implies some sort of mathematical content. In her right hand, she is holding a pair of compasses, as if caught in the midst of her studies. Beyond the book on the table is an armillary sphere, an astronomer’s instrument. A cabinet of books, partly revealed by a drawn-back curtain, further characterizes her as a woman of learning. The most unusual feature, however, is her costume. She is wearing a ‘Japonse rok’, a kind of housecoat imported to the Netherlands by members of the VOC, who had received them as gifts from the Japanese shogun. Made from fine silk and padded with silk wadding, the dressing gowns were particularly popular in paintings depicting well-to-do men, artists and scholars who wore them as working garments or informal housecoats.⁹ From circa 1680, the garment became also popular with women and children.¹⁰

Unfortunately, the sitter’s identity remains unknown. She might have been a mathematician or the widow of a scientist continuing his research. Based on information given by the topographical reference, potential candidates include Cornelia Merchijs (?-1694), the wife of Joannes Rijckaert (1609-1679) who lived at Herengracht 188 as a widow from 1679 until her death, and whose her sister-in-law, Maria Florianus (1600-1678), is likely the sitter in a drawing by Thopas in the Stadsarchief, Amsterdam (inv. no. 010097000323).¹¹ The resident of Herengracht 190 at the time was Maria Wtenbogaert (1643-1680), daughter of the Remonstrant preacher Johannes Wtenbogaert (1557-1644), who was portrayed by Rembrandt (1606-1669) in a picture in the Rijksmuseum (inv. no. SK-A-4885); she was outlived by her husband Cornelis van Gheel (1637-1681).¹² Unfortunately, neither female candidate can be specifically associated with scholarly activities.¹³

Annemarie Stefes, 2018