Reyer Reyersz van der Burch (1630-1695), Ammunition Officer attached to the Arsenal of the States-General, Delft, with his Wife Geertruid Graswinckel and their Children Frank, Cornelis, Reyer, Maria and Alida

About this artwork

oil on canvas

Art Historical Context

This grand family portrait by Cornelis de Man captures Reyer Reyersz van der Burch, an ammunition officer serving the Dutch Republic’s arsenal in Delft, alongside his wife Geertruid Graswinckel and their five children. Painted between 1670 and 0 in oil on canvas, the nearly two-by-three-meter work presents the family in their finest attire, arranged formally yet warmly within a richly furnished interior. De Man, a Delft artist active during the Dutch Golden Age, specialized in such group portraits that celebrated civic duty and domestic harmony. In the prosperous Dutch Republic, large-scale family portraits like this one served both as personal mementos and statements of social standing. Van der Burch’s military-administrative role underscores the era’s emphasis on defense and trade, while the inclusion of every child by name reflects the period’s pride in lineage and continuity. The expansive canvas allowed de Man to render intricate fabrics, gleaming metalwork, and subtle expressions with the luminous detail characteristic of oil painting. Today in the Rijksmuseum collection, the painting offers visitors a vivid glimpse into 17th-century Delft life—where civic officials, prosperous households, and artistic innovation flourished side by side.