1631

Portrait of Anthony Reyniers and His Family

Flemish (active Antwerp), 1584/85 - 1651

The folded letter on the table, addressed to "A S^nr Anthoni/ Reiniersen Coopman/ tot Antwerpen" (To Mr. Antoni Reiniersen, merchant in Antwerp), identifies the family in this portrait. Two Reyniers sons stand beside their father, while three daughters accompany their mother. The portrait of an elderly man and woman in the background undoubtedly represents the children's grandparents. The painting is filled with signs of material success--the family is expensively clothed, costly leather covers the back wall, and an Oriental carpet is draped over the table. The artist's commitment to faithful likenesses is evident in the suggestion of a defect in the left eye of Reyniers's wife, Maria Levitter.