In short

Our middle 17th century Amsterdam painter has not yet been identified.
But he definitely stands very close to Jan Victors. Victors is said to have been a pupil of Rembrandt in his hometown Amsterdam during the second half of the 1630s. He remained active in Amsterdam until 1676.

 

Dutch painter

Amsterdam 1619 – 1676 Dutch East Indies

 

Sometimes referred to as “Johannes Victors”.

 

Painter of religious subjects, of portraits and from 1646 on of genre scenes (street life and tavern scenes). His earliest dated works are from 1640.

 

It is generally accepted that Jan Victors was a pupil of Rembrandt during the second half of the 1630s. There are no 17th century written documents testifying this. The earliest mention of Victors, as one of the best Rembrandt pupils, is from 1722. 

 

Typical of Jan Victors are his rich colours, his theatrical staging and gestures and his marked linearity.

 

He was active in Amsterdam from 1635 until 1676.

His wife died in 1661, leaving him with seven children.

In 1673 he changed his occupation: he joined the Dutch East Indies Company as “comforter of the sick” (“ziekentrooster”), giving medical and spiritual assistance. In 1676 he travelled to the Dutch East Indies, present-day Indonesia, where he must have died shortly after his arrival in December 1676.

 

Jan Victors was born into the poor family of a carpenter. He was one of ten children. Jan’s half-brother, Jacobus (also known as Jacomo) Victors (1640-1709) was a painter of animal scenes. In his early years he had been active in Italy.

 

Jan’s son, Victor (1653-1696/1706), was a draughtsman. There are drawings of Australia known, which he also travelled to as a comforter of the sick and as cartographer.

 

 

I could not find an attribution for this nice pair of portraits, nor could Fred Meijer. According to Fred Meijer the broader brush strokes of our painter do not match with the more refined style of Victors. In fact not that many portraits are known by Victors. 

 

The third quarter of the 17th century was definitely the Golden Age of the Dutch Republic. Spain had in 1648 finally recognized its independence, signing the peace treaty of Westphalia that ended the Eighty Year’s’ War, and the economy was booming. Amsterdam was and still is the main metropolis of the Netherlands. It attracted many artists, especially (portrait) painters. Many are know, but not all have yet been identified yet.

 

 

Because these nice portraits are very reasonably priced.