< Go back
Portret van Jan Neyen
Peter Paul Rubens
1607
Portret van Jan Neyen
Peter Paul Rubens
1607
Father Jan Neyen was an important man in Dutch history. He was commissioner general of six order provinces of the Friar Minors in the Netherlands and the German Empire. In 1607, he was sent to The Hague by the archduke and duchess Albert and Isabella, to represent the Southern Netherlands in the negotiations with the States General. These talks eventually led, on 9 April 1609, to the Twelve-Year Truce; twelve years of peace during the Eighty Years’ War.
This Portrait of Father Jan Neyen (or maybe another version of the composition) can be seen on a cabinet piece by Frans Francken the Younger (1581-1642). On this painting, which also portrays the humanists Abraham Ortelius (1527-1598) and Justus Lipsius (1547-1606) besides an extensive collection of paintings and naturalia, the portrait of Jan Neyen placed on the ground bears the date 1618. This is probably a visual joke by the painter, and refers to the creation of the cabinet piece. The portrait itself must have been created before Neyen’s death in 1612. According to an old document, which used to be on the reverse of the painting, the portrait dates from 1607, when Neyen was about 37 years old.
