Aelbert Cuyp: Portrait of Jacob Mathieusen, Senior Merchant of the Dutch East India Company, and his Wife (1640-1660)

(Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, The Netherlands)

Another nice portrait. This time a portrait of a wealthy merchant and his wife. the setting is Indonesia, which was a Dutch colony back then. The city in the background is Batavia, modern Djakarta. A fleet of Dutch merchant ships are getting ready to sail back to the Netherlands with their precious cargo. The merchant point to the ships so either the ships pictured are his property or it is a symbol that his wealth comes from those ships. Painting from 1640-1660.