Dutch Printer and Publisher Joan Blaeu II (1650–1712) Identified as the Subject of a Portrait by Michiel van Musscher (1645–1705)

Abstract

The most famous seventeenth-century European printing, publishing, and cartography firm was that of the Blaeu family of Amsterdam. Founded c. 1599 by Willem Jansz Blaeu (1571–1638), it was continued through three generations by his son, Joan Blaeu I (1596–1673), and his grandsons, including Joan Blaeu II (1650–1712). Joan Blaeu II, along with his brother Peter (1637–1706), led the firm after the dual disasters of a fire that destroyed the printing plant in 1672, and the death of their father in 1673. The family gradually liquidated inventory, finally selling the printing shop in 1678. Joan II later would hold a number of civic positions. Although images of Willem Jansz. Blaeu and his son Joan Blaeu I are known, no depictions of Joan Blaeu II have been identified. The Amsterdam portraitist Michiel van Musscher (1645–1705) had painted a number of members of the Blaeu family including posthumous portraits of Joan I and his wife, Gertrude Vermeulen. This report presents evidence that a Van Musscher portrait of a previously unknown gentleman now can be identified by the artistic imagery included in the painting as a portrait of Joan Blaeu II. This imagery reflects his work as a printer, his civic position, and his connection to the Blaeu firm through its printer’s mark. This mark, used for the duration of the firm, was a distinctive design adopted by Willem Jansz. Blaeu c. 1622, and it pays homage to his scientific mentor and astronomical genius of the day, Tyco Brahe (1546–1601).