Artwork
Portrait of David van Mollen and Son-in-Law Jacob Sydervelt with his Family
Portrait of David van Mollen and Son-in-Law Jacob Sydervelt with his Family is an unspecified painting by the Rococo painting artist Nikolaas Verkolje. It dates from 1740 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
About this work
Overview
Nicolaas Verkolje’s group portrait presents David van Mollem, a prosperous silk merchant, seated in the cultivated garden of his country estate, Zijdebalen, on the banks of the River Vecht. He is accompanied by his son‑in‑law Jacob Sydervelt and the latter’s family, all dressed in refined attire that signals their social standing.
Subject & Meaning
The composition foregrounds van Mollem’s wealth and domestic stability, emphasizing the orderly garden as a symbol of cultivated prosperity. While the painting celebrates the merchant’s success, it omits any reference to the enslaved laborers who worked the Suriname coffee plantation that underpinned his fortune.
Technique & Style
Verkolje employs a smooth, luminous palette typical of early‑18th‑century Dutch portraiture, rendering fabrics and foliage with meticulous detail. The balanced arrangement of figures within a naturalistic landscape reflects the period’s preference for clarity, harmony, and the subtle interplay of light and shadow.
History & Provenance
Created in the early 1700s, the work was likely commissioned by van Mollem to commemorate his status and the recent acquisition of the Suriname plantation by the Utrecht Company in 1736. The painting has remained in private collections before entering a public museum context, where it is now displayed as part of a broader narrative on Dutch mercantile portraiture.
Context
The portrait belongs to a tradition of Dutch elite family paintings that combine personal likenesses with depictions of property, reinforcing social rank. Such works often served both as family records and visual affirmations of economic power derived from overseas trade and colonial enterprises.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Nicolaas Verkolje or Vercolje (11 April 1673 – 21 January 1746) was a Dutch painter and mezzotinter. He specialized in history pieces and portraits in a classicistic style.
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