Adolf and Catharina Croeser, Known as ‘The Burgomaster of Delft and his Daughter’
Medium
oil on canvas
Dimensions
h 82.5cm × w 68.5cm × d cm
Classification
painting
Museum
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
About this artwork
Legs spread, hand on hip, Croeser sits comfortably on the stoop of his house on Oude Delft in Delft. His 13-year-old daughter Catharina is looking directly at us. Jan Steen added a narrative element to the portrait: paupers asking the wealthy grain merchant for alms. Two years later, in 1657, Croeser acted as guarantor for Steen, who was then deeply in debt.