Portrait of Willemina van Braeckel

Like Frans Hals, the other great portrait painter in Haarlem, Johannes Verspronck, concentrated on painting portraits, but their styles are very different. Verspronck usually worked very meticulously with great attention to detail; Frans Hals’s manner was much freer. Both painters were very popular and were given many commissions by patrons in Haarlem and elsewhere.
Anthonie Charles de Liedekercke (1587-1661) and Willemina van Braeckel (1604/05-after 1661) married in Amsterdam in 1627. Ten years later they had their portraits painted by Johannes Verspronck. Anthonie de Liedekercke, born in Antwerp, was a naval captain and the States General’s envoy in Morocco in 1640-41. After their marriage the couple settled in Haarlem. In 1638 they had a son, Samuel. He can be found with his parents in the portrait by Gerard ter Borgh.
The well-to-do couple have dressed in their finery for their portraits. Willemina van Braeckel’s dress is made of costly fabrics and lace. In her hand she holds an ostrich-feather fan, an important status symbol at the time. Her husband is clad in stately black. They both wear large lace ruffs.
The coats of arms in the paintings were added later, probably in the 18th century.