Portrait of Joan Jacob Mauricius, Governor-General of Suriname

1741

In this portrait of his friend Mauricius, Troost under-scored their mutual love of the theatre. Mauricius sits in an imaginary interior, with shelves filled with plays behind him. On the wall is Troost’s painting with a scene from the play Jan Claesz of de gewaande Dienstmaagt (Jan Claesz or the Supposed Servant Girl). A drawn self-portrait of Troost hangs over the edge of the table.