Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn: Portrait of Marten Soolmans & Oopjen Coppit (1634)

(Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, The Netherlands & Musée du Louvre, Paris, France)

A set of large paintings by the Dutch artist Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn (1606-1669). These 2 painting are the only full-length portraits which Rembrandt made. The set are commissioned by the couple upon the occasion of their wedding.  Rembrandt was a relative new artist in Amsterdam at that time so why the couple choose Rembrandt is unknown. The couple is shown at their best and in the latest fashion. Marten Soolmans (1613-1641) was the son of Jan Soolmans who was a merchant in sugar from Antwerp who fled to the Netherlands. Oopjen Coppit (1611-1689) came from a wealthy family of grain and gunpowdermerchants. The couple registered for a notice of marriage on 9 june 1633 and married on 28 june 1633 (Oopjen brought a dowry of 35,000 guilders, and Marten of 12,000) and lived in a house in the 'Nieuwe Hoogstraat' in Amsterdam. Marten died after only 8 years of marriage in 1641. His wife Oopjen Coppit (1611-1689) took control of the sugar refinery "'t Vagevuur" of Marten and eventually remarried with Maarten Daey in 1646. The couple paid 500 guilders for the set which was made in 1634.