# Pride and joy: children's portraits in the Netherlands, 1500–1700

Pride and joy: children's portraits in the Netherlands, 1500–1700 (Dutch: Kinderen op hun mooist: het kinderportret in de Nederlanden 1500-1700), was an exhibition held jointly by the Frans Hals Museum in Haarlem and the Royal Museum of Fine Arts, Antwerp, over several months in 2000–2001. It was the first exhibition with a particular focus on images of childhood from the early-modern Low Countries.
The exhibition catalog included detailed discussions of 85 paintings from various collection holders, that together give an overview of four basic aspects of daily life in 17th-century portraits of children and families from the Low Countries: family values, educating children, children at play, and children's fashions. The English translation of the catalogue was published in 2001.
Since children's portraits are often quite popular, the exhibition was restricted by rules governing insurance and loans of popular pieces. The introduction to the catalog discusses and reproduces several paintings that could not be exhibited. The Rijksmuseum Amsterdam however was able to loan 11 works for the exhibition. The catalog is organized loosely by time period, starting with the earliest works.
| Article | Painter | Date | Collection | Inventory number | Catalog code |
| Filips de Schone als jongeling | Master of the Legend of the Magdalen | 1493 | Huis Bergh | | 1 |
| Little girl with a dead bird | anonymous | 1510s | Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium | 4434 | 2 |
| Three children of King Christian II of Denmark | Jan Gossaert | 1525 | Royal Collection | RCIN 405782 | 3 |
| Portrait of a Young Scholar | Jan van Scorel | 1531 | Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen | 1797 (OK) | 4 |
| Adriaan van Santvoort and his Sons Guillaume and Adriaan | Bernaert de Rijckere | 1563 | private collection | | 5 |
| Anna van Hertsbeke and her Daughter Catharina and Son Jan Baptiste | Bernaert de Rijckere | 1563 | private collection | | 6 |
| Little Girl with a Basket of Cherries | anonymous | 1575 | National Gallery | NG6161 | 7 |
| Portrait of a boy aged two | Jacob Willemsz Delff | 1581 | Rijksmuseum | SK-A-1907 | 8 |
| Hilleke de Roy and 4 of her Orphans | anonymous | 1586 | private collection | | 9 |
| Six-year-old Girl holding a Cherry | Jan Claesz. | 1594 | Rijksmuseum Twenthe | 130 | 10 |
| Portrait of Catharina van Warmondt | Isaac van Swanenburg | 1596 | Museum Meermanno | 16/31 | 11 |
| Portrait of Hector van Bouricius | Hans Hansz. de Clercq | 1599 | Fries Museum | 1950-63 | 12 |
| Double Portrait of a Brother and Sister | Cornelis Ketel | 1600 | Museum Mayer van den Bergh | 19 | 13 |
| Five-year-old Boy holding a Pony | Jan Claesz. | 1609 | Stichting Verzameling Semeijns de Vries van Doesburgh | | 14 |
| Girl with Rattle | Jan Claesz. | 1609 | Fries Museum | 1962-81 | 15 |
| A child with bird | Peter Paul Rubens | 1625 | Gemäldegalerie | GG763 | 16 |
| Boy with Colf Stick | anonymous | 1615 | Markiezenhof | 3065 | 17 |
| Portrait of a girl, known as 'The Little Princess' | Paulus Moreelse | 1623 | Rijksmuseum | SK-A-277 | 18 |
| Quadruplets of Dordrecht | anonymous | 1621 | Dordrechts Museum | DM-986-639 | 19 |
| Two Girls | Paulus Moreelse | 1622 | Centraal Museum Nederlands Kunstbezit (NK) | 10240 | 20 |
| Girl – 1623 | Paulus Moreelse | 1623 | National Gallery of Ireland | NGI.263 | 21 |
| Magdalena de Vos | Cornelis de Vos | 1623 | private collection | | 22 |
| Girl at a Virginal | Cornelis de Vos | 1624 | private collection | | 23 |
| Susanna de Vos | Cornelis de Vos | 1627 | Städel | 763 | 24 |
| Portrait of Anthony Reyniers and His Family | Cornelis de Vos | 1631 | Philadelphia Museum of Art | W1902-1-22 | 25 |
| Joannes de Ruyter (ca. 1627–1678) | Jan Antonisz. van Ravesteyn | 1632 | private collection | | 26 |
| Portrait of a Boy in Gray | Jacob Adriaensz Backer | 1634 | Mauritshuis | 747 | 27 |
| Family Group as Cornelia, Mother of the Gracchi, Showing Her Children – c.1635 | Jan van Bijlert | 1635 | Musée des Beaux-Arts d'Orléans | MO1500 | 28 |
| Portrait of Jacob (1627), Elisabeth (1629–1678) and Cornelia Francken (1633) | Jacob Gerritsz. Cuyp | 1635 | Dordrechts Museum | | 29 |
| Portrait of Willem Van Loon (later mayor of Amsterdam), aged 2 1/2 | Dirck van Santvoort | 1636 | Museum Van Loon | | 30 |
| Two children with a lamb | Jacob Gerritsz. Cuyp | 1638 | Wallraf-Richartz Museum | | 31 |
| Family portrait with three cradles | anonymous | 1638 | Stichting Verzameling Semeijns de Vries van Doesburgh | | 32 |
| Portrait of a boy | Willem van der Vliet | 1638 | Rijksmuseum | SK-A-2577 | 33 |
| Grandmother with Granddaughter – 1639 | Jacob Adriaensz Backer | 1638 | private collection | | 34 |
| Girl by a High Chair | Govert Flinck | 1640 | Mauritshuis | 676 | 35 |
| A Girl as Flora – c. 1640 | Govert Flinck | 1640 | Museum of Fine Arts of Nantes | | 36 |
| Hieronymus and Frederik Adolf van Tuyll van Serooskerken – 1641 | Gerard van Honthorst | 1641 | M.A.O.C. Gravin van Bylandt Stichting | | 37 |
| Portrait of a Girl Dressed in Blue | Johannes Cornelisz Verspronck | 1641 | Rijksmuseum | SK-A-3064 | 38 |
| Group of four children – 1641 | Pieter Soutman | 1641 | private collection | | 39 |
| Boy in White – c. 1641 | Dirck van Santvoort | 1641 | private collection | | 40 |
| Boy with a Spoon | Bartholomeus van der Helst | 1643 | private collection | | 41 |
| A Boy as Cupid – 1644 | Bartholomeus van der Helst | 1644 | private collection | | 42 |
| Martinus Alewijn (1634–84). Sun od Abraham Alewijn and Geertruid Hooftman | Dirck van Santvoort | 1644 | Rijksmuseum | SK-A-1310 | 43 |
| Clara Alewijn (1635–74). Daughter of Abraham Alewijn and Geertruid Hooftman | Dirck van Santvoort | 1644 | Rijksmuseum | SK-A-1311 | 44 |
| Portrait of a Girl | Pieter van Lint | 1645 | Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp (KMSKA) | 884 | 45 |
| A child's deathbed portrait | Bartholomeus van der Helst | 1645 | Nederlands Kunstbezit (NK) | NK 2692 | 46 |
| Four-year-old Girl with Cat and Fish | Jacob Gerritsz. Cuyp | 1647 | private collection | | 47 |
| Portrait of Helena van der Schalcke | Gerard ter Borch | 1648s | Rijksmuseum | SK-A-1786 | 48 |
| Michiel Pompe van Slingelandt (1643–1685) | Jacob Gerritsz. Cuyp | 1649 | Dordrechts Museum | DM/953/373 | 49 |
| Portrait of an 11-year-old Boy | Jacob van Oost | 1650 | National Gallery | NG1137 | 50 |
| Saint Agnes and Saint Dorothea | Michaelina Wautier Thomas Willeboirts Bosschaert | 1650s | Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp (KMSKA) Flemish Art Collection | 599 | 51 |
| Girl as Shepherdess | Jan Baptist Weenix | 1650 | musée de Picardie | | 52 |
| Boy | Johannes Cornelisz Verspronck | 1650s | private collection | | 53 |
| Portrait of a Boy | Jan Fyt Erasmus Quellinus II | 1650s | Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp (KMSKA) Flemish Art Collection | 407 | 54 |
| Boy with a Top and Dog | Jacob van Loo | 1650s | private collection | | 55 |
| Portrait of Josina Copes-Schade van Westrum and Her Children – c. 1651 | Theodoor van Thulden | 1651 | North Brabant Museum | 9.740 | 56 |
| Portrait of a boy with a billygoat | Jan Albertsz Rotius | 1652 | Rijksmuseum | SK-A-995 | 57 |
| Willem van den Kerckhoven and his Family | Johannes Mytens | 1652 | Haags Historisch Museum | | 58 |
| Christina Lepper de Kempenaer and Her Children | Jan Baptist Weenix | 1653 | private collection | | 59 |
| Boy Sleeping in a High Chair | Johannes Cornelisz Verspronck | 1654 | private collection | | 60 |
| Portrait of Frederika, Edzard Jacob and Lambert Tjarda van Starkenborgh | Jan de Stomme | 1654 | Groninger Museum | 1940.0199 | 61 |
| William III (1650–1702), prince of Orange, as a child | Adriaen Hanneman | 1654 | Rijksmuseum | SK-A-3889 | 62 |
| Portrait of a Six-year-old Boy | Jan de Bray | 1654 | Mauritshuis | 808 | 63 |
| Otto van der Waeyen in a Polish Costume | Ferdinand Bol | 1656 | Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen | 1071 (OK) | 64 |
| Portrait of a Boy holding a Basket of Fruit | Jan de Bray | 1658 | Museum of Fine Arts | 1992.475 | 65 |
| Boy Training his Dog | Ludolf Leendertsz de Jongh | 1661 | Virginia Museum of Fine Arts | | 66 |
| Willem Woutersz Oorthoorn in a Goat-Cart | Gerbrand van den Eeckhout | 1662 | private collection | | 67 |
| the Goubau-Children: Alexander IV Goubau, Lord of Mespelaere, (1658–1712), Joannes V Cornelis Goubau, (1660–1702), and Maria-Aldegonda Goubau | Justus van Egmont | 1663 | private collection | | 68 |
| Margarita Trip as Minerva, Instructing her Sister Anna Maria Trip | Ferdinand Bol | 1663 | Rijksmuseum | SK-A-46 | 69 |
| A Four-year-old Girl with a Pot of Carnations | Jan Albertsz Rotius | 1663 | Art Gallery of Ontario | | 70 |
| Family Portrait of Braems-Van der Laen with Christ Blessing the Children | Jan de Bray | 1663 | Frans Hals Museum | OS-I-36 | 71 |
| Portrait of a Two-Year Old Boy | Caesar van Everdingen | 1664 | Cannon Hall | | 72 |
| Portrait of a Girl as a Huntress | Caesar van Everdingen | 1665 | Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp (KMSKA) | 382 | 73 |
| Portrait of a Boy | Jan van Noordt | 1665 | Museum of Fine Arts of Lyon | | 74 |
| Twins | Johanna Vergouwen | 1668 | private collection | | 75 |
| Portrait of a boy as a hunter | Pieter Nason | 1665 | Villa Vauban | | 76 |
| Flower garland with portrait of William III of Orange, aged 10 | Jan Davidsz. de Heem Jan Vermeer van Utrecht | 1666 1659 | Museum of Fine Arts of Lyon Gallery Prince Willem V Department of Paintings of the Louvre | A 85 | 77 |
| Two Angels Bearing a Dead Infant up to Heaven – c. 1675 | Nicolaes Maes | 1675 | private collection | | 78 |
| Group Portrait as Mirror of Virtue | Nicolaes Maes | 1670s | private collection | | 79 |
| Allegorical Portrait of Anthony de Bordes and His Son Anthony | Adriaen Backer | 1673 | Amsterdam Museum | SB 6404 | 80 |
| Three Children in a Landscape – 1677 | Nicolaes Maes | 1677 | Slot Zuylen | S 43 | 81 |
| Group portrait with allegorical overtones of the children of Diederic Pietersz van Leyden (van Leeuwen; 1628–82), burgomaster of Leiden, and Alida Paets (1625–73) | Daniel Mijtens the Younger | 1679 | Rijksmuseum | SK-A-4222 | 82 |
| George de Vicq as Ganymede – 1681 – Fogg Art Museum | Nicolaes Maes | 1681 | Fogg Museum | 1993.25 | 83 |
| Deathbed portrait of a child, probably Catharina Margaretha van Valkenburg (1680–1682) | Jan Thopas | 1682 | Mauritshuis | | 84 |
| Cunera Oltshoorn | Adriaen van der Werff | 1683 | Museum Rotterdam | | 85 |