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Portrait of Jan Corneliszoon Meppel, Navy Admiral of the Dutch Republic, engraving by Jacob Houbraken, c.1750.
Description
Portrait of Jan Corneliszoon Meppel, Navy Admiral of the Dutch Republic, engraving by Jacob Houbraken, c.1750.
Jan Corneliszoon Meppel (c.1609 – 1669) was a Dutch naval officer from Hoorn who served the Dutch Republic with distinction during the Anglo-Dutch Wars. He took part in naval expeditions that reached the Mediterranean, West Africa, and the Americas, reflecting the wide scope of Dutch maritime power. Meppel worked closely with admirals Michiel Adriaenszoon de Ruyter and Cornelis Tromp, sharing in their campaigns and victories.
He was among the commanders who took part in the famous Raid on the Medway (Chatham) in 1667, one of the most audacious naval operations in Dutch history. Though less renowned than his great contemporaries, Meppel exemplified the disciplined and courageous officers who helped secure the Republic’s dominance at sea in the seventeenth century. He died in 1669, remembered for his steadfast service and skill in battle.
Jacob Houbraken (1698–1780) was a Dutch engraver celebrated for his masterful portrait prints that combined precision, elegance, and historical insight. Born in Dordrecht as the son of the painter and biographer Arnold Houbraken, he was trained in his father’s workshop and absorbed both artistic technique and a deep interest in the lives of notable figures. Settling in Amsterdam, Jacob became the foremost portrait engraver of his time, producing refined likenesses of scholars, statesmen, and artists that reflected the intellectual spirit of the Enlightenment.
His reputation grew through collaborations with historians and publishers, most notably Jan Wagenaar, whose monumental Vaderlandsche historie (1749–1759) presented the story of the Dutch Republic in richly illustrated form. For this project Houbraken supplied engraved portraits of the leading figures of Dutch history, translating the painted tradition of the Golden Age into the printed page. His meticulous lines and balanced compositions gave the work both authority and visual grace, making him not only an artist of great technical skill but also a visual historian of the Dutch nation.
- Title on print: “Jan Corneliszoon Meppel, Luitenant Admiraal van Holland en Westvriesland.”
- From: Jan Wagenaar, Vaderlandsche historie, Amsterdam, Isaak Tirion, 1749-59.
- Engraving by Jacob Houbraken (1698 – 1780) after a painting by Christoffel Pierson (Dutch, 1631 – 1714).
- Production details on image: “Chr. Pierson pinxit; J. Houbraken sculpsit”
- Verso: empty
- Age and type: c.1750, engraving
- Size: image 18x12cm, sheet 22,5x20cm
- Condition: excellent; suitable for framing
- Click here for same print in collection of Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
- Click here for same print in collection National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London
