Roelof Willemsz. van Culemborg: Family portrait of Jan van der Does and his wife Elisabeth van Zuylen and their children (1590-1592)
(Museum de Lakenhal, Leiden, The Netherlands)
A large family portrait by the Dutch painter Roelof Willemsz. van Culemborg (...-1596). Jan van der Does (also known by the latinized version of his name Janus Douza) was an important figure in the town of Leiden. He is most famous for being a militairy commander during the famous second Spanish siege of Leiden (1573-1574). He also was a jurist, historian, poet and philologist, politician and the first curator and librarian of Leiden University Library. The text above each person is their name. Present of the painting from left to right:
- Jacob (Jacobus) van der Does (1584-...), died at sea
- Joris (Georgius) van der Does (1574-1599), student at the university of Leiden and died during a study trip around the world
- Jan van der Does senior, lord of Noordwijk (1545-1604)
- Jan (Janus) van der Does jr (1571-1596), librarian of Leiden University Library, poet and teacher of prince Frederik Henry of Orange
- Werner (Warnerus) van der Does (1578-1603), naval officer onboard of the ship 'Alckmaer'. Sailed to Indonesia but died at sea.
- Steven (Stephanus) van der Does (1576-1622), lord of Noordwijk, councilor at the Hof of Holland. He married with the sister of Capar van Ewsum (husband of his sister Anna)
- Dirck (Didericus) van der Does (1580-1663), lord of Bergestein and Woudenberg, enlisted in the Dutch army, member of the city council of Utrecht, bailiff of Rijnsburg and Boskoop, politician
- Frans (Franciscus) van der Does (1577-1630), poet, bailiff of Noordwijk, canon in Utrecht. Married with Anna van Batenburg
- Anna van der Does (1572-1635/39), married with Caspar van Ewsum, lord of Nijenoord and Vredewold, on 21-may-1600
- Elisabeth van Zuylen (1545-1624), daughter of Dirk van Zuylen van de Haer (lord of de Haer en sherrif of Utrecht) and Johanna Drakenborg
- Johanna (Janna) van der Does (1579-1601)
Below the group is a text in Latin, made by Jan van der Does senior:
Douza ego: bis sena fecit quem prole parentem,
Sulena conjux Elisabetha domo,
Nempe novem nunc tanta etiam de stirpe supersunt,
Par natarum inquam, caetera turba mares.
Pars quorum patrem una refert, pars altera matrem;
Rudophi artifici, quam bene picta manu.
Ipse mei spectator ego, tot pignora lustrans
Di, precor hos cineri sit superesse meo.
Quid si etiam Josina mihi nunc filia sospes?
Plena puellarum sic mihi triga foret
Heu cur non pictos saltem fas cernere vultus?
Digna ea vel fatis sic superesse suis.
Translated:
I, Douza, was made a father 2x6 times
by my wife Elisabeth of house Zuylen
Now 9 have survived out of so many,
2 are female the rest is male
some look like their father, the others like their mother
O artist Roelof, you have skillfully painted
I who looks at himself, i beg the Gods that they,
who bring me much joy, that they may survive my ashes
How would it be if also my daughter Josina would have survived?
Then i would have 3 daughters
Why is it not allowed to show her face?
She is worthy to survive her fate in this manner.
The daughter Josina Jan van der Does mentions in the last lines was born on 29 september 1582 but died in the year 1590. The other children who died was a daughter who was a stillbirth and a boy who died after 5 days after his birth. Of his 12 children only 4 were still alive (Steven, Anna, Frans en Dirck) when Jan van der Does senior died. Painting from 1590-1592.