Portrait of Martinus Alewijn

1644

Children were also portrayed in the Netherlands in the 17th century. This canvas presents Martinus Alewijn, the ten-year-old son of an Amsterdam merchant. He is not simply eternalized in paint as the wealthy city boy that he was, but rather in the guise of a shepherd holding a staff sitting beneath a tree, with a dog and some sheep. These motifs reference country life and hunting. They underscore the family's prominent social standing and affluence.