Four Regents and the ‘House Father’ of the Amsterdam Lepers’ Asylum

Werner van den Valckert, 1624

The men wearing hats are the regents, or buitenvaders, of the Amsterdam Lepers’ Asylum, which cared for people suffering from leprosy and other ailments. The bare-headed man at left is the binnenvader, or house father, charged with the daily running of the asylum. The relief behind the group illustrates an appropriate biblical scene: dogs licking the sores of Lazarus, a beggar afflicted with leprosy.

  • Artwork typepainting
  • Object numberSK-C-417
  • Dimensionssupport: height 134 cm x width 209 cm
  • Physical characteristicsoil on panel

Identification

  • Title(s)

    • Four Regents and the Housemaster of the Leper-House, Amsterdam
    • Four Regents and the ‘House Father’ of the Amsterdam Lepers’ Asylum

  • Object type

  • Object number

    SK-C-417

  • Description

    Groepsportret van de vier regenten en de binnenvader van het leprozenhuis te Amsterdam in 1624. De vier regenten zitten aan een tafel waarop een boek, documenten, een inktstel en een weegschaaltje staan. Geportretteerd zijn: Sieuwerd Sem, Hendrick van Bronckhorst, Ernst Roeters en Dirck Vlack. Op de achtergrond zijn episoden uit het verhaal van de arme Lazarus en de rijke man in reliëf afgebeeld.

  • Inscriptions / marks

    • date, on a piece of paper: ‘1624’
    • inscription, bottom centre: ‘Siewerd Sem / Hendrick van Brouckhorst / Ernst Roeters / Dirck Vlack’

  • Part of catalogue

Creation

  • Creation

    painter: Werner van den Valckert

  • Dating

    1624

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Material and technique

  • Physical description

    oil on panel

  • Dimensions

    support: height 134 cm x width 209 cm

This work is about

  • Person

  • Subject

  • Place

Acquisition and rights

  • Credit line

    On loan from the City of Amsterdam

  • Copyright

    Public domain

  • Provenance

    **For both the present painting (SK-C-417) and its pendant (SK-C-419)**

    Commissioned by the regents and regentesses oft he Leper-House, Amsterdam, for the Regentenkamer; transferred to Amsterdam Town Hall, 1860;{Scheltema 1879, p. 51, no. 142.} on loan to the museum from the City of Amsterdam since 1885{Provenance reconstructed in Van Thiel 1983d, p. 181, no. 18.}

Documentation

Persistent URL

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