Johannes Cornelisz. Verspronck: Portrait of Eduard Wallis & Maria van Strijp (1652)

(Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, The Netherlands)

A beautiful set made by the Dutch artist Johannes Cornelisz. Verspronck (1600-1662). Depicted on the left is Eduard Wallis (1621-1684), a wealthy textile merchant from Haarlem (his family originally came from Scotland but immigrated to and governor of the workhouse of the poor in Haarlem (in Dutch the 'Aalmoezeniers-, Arm- en Werkhuis'). On the right is his wife Maria van Strijp (1627-1707). Maria van Strijp also came from a merchant family, her father Hendrick Pietersz. van Strijp was a merchant in linen yarns, and there were strong ties between the van Strijp and the Wallis familie. Two brothers of Eduard Wallis married with two sisters of Maria van Strijp: Johannes Wallis married with Catharina van Strijp and Jacobus Wallis married Hester van Strijp. Eduard Wallis & Maria van Strijp married in 1647 and got at least 1 child. Painting from 1652.