Joan Huydecoper and Sophia Coymans
as Mars and Venus
Venus helps her lover Mars, who has returned from battle, remove his harness. These statuettes were probably
a wedding gift for Joan Huydecoper van Maarsseveen (1625-1704) and Sophia Coymans (1636-1714), who married
in 1656. Like his father, Joan served several times as mayor of Amsterdam. ‘Mars and Venus’ is a subtle allusion to
‘Maarsseveen’, the name of the family’s estate, which was added to their surname.