| Commentary | The painter Hans van Essen was born in 1589, the son of the merchant Hans van Essen de oude who carried on his business in the Nieuwe Rockin since 1589 (Briels, Vlaamse schilders, 1997, p. 326). On 11 October 1614 Hans van Essen, schilder, 25 years old, was betrothed to Maritgen Sybrants, the widow of the goldsmith Anthony Boonhoff (of R 29596 of Montias2), living in the St. Jansstraet (DTB 418/316). Maritge Sybrants was the daughter of Sybrant Cornelisz. Her sister Reymsgen married the painter Isack van Coninxloo (Bredius, Künstler-inventare, p. 1464 and R 19464). Hans van Essen (II) signed the Remonstrant petition of 1628. Maritge Sybrants kept a store where she sold linens (of which a long list was a cited in the inventory). On 19 December 1634, Hans van Nes (Essen), widower of Maritge Sybrants, declared before the Orphan Chamber that the two children Maria, 2 1/2, and Jannetken, 1, left by Jan Govertsz., wijnkoper, whose mother was Gertruyd Boonhoff, were entitled to a house in the Warmoesstraet from the heritage left by Maritge Sybrants (WK 5073/789). On 29 October 1619, Maritgen Sybrants, accompanied by her present husband and guardian Hans van Nes, presented her daughter Geertruyt, aged 7, whose father was Anthoni Boonhoff, goutsmit, before the Orphan Chamber. A weesmeesters kennisse (an obligation of the Orphan Chamber) for 650 f. issued by Hans van Essen, schilder, on behalf of the child, was deposited in the Chamber on 4 August 1626 (WK 5073/789). On 14 March 1625, Hans van Nes bought on the Warmoesstraet, next to the house of Elbert Joosten (who, when Isaack Coninxloo, the brother-in-law of Hans van Essen, bought the lot in R 19464, guaranteed the purchase), for 7,400 f. (Kam, Waar was dat huis in de Warmoesstraat? 1968, 37/2). The present inventory was drawn up after the death of Van Essen's first wife. On 30 November 1634, the estate was valued in total at 15,321 f. (Bredius, op.cit., p. 1463). Hans van Essen remarried with Anna Jans, from Amsterdam, widow of Hans Warnaerts on 20 December 1636 (Bredius, op.cit. p. 1465). He passed his testament on 15 February 1648 and died later in that month (Briels, ibid.) |
