Portrait of Martinus Alewijn, Dirck Dircksz. van Santvoort, 1644 oil on canvas, h 124cm × w 91cm Children were also portrayed in 17th-century Holland. This canvas shows the ten-year-old Amsterdam merchant's son Martinus Alewijn. He is immortalised not so much as the rich city boy he was, but in the role of shepherd, under a tree with a staff, a dog and sheep. These motifs refer to the outdoors and hunting. They emphasise the family's prominent social position and prosperity.
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