Portrait of David van Mollem with his Family

The wealthy Amsterdam silk merchant David van Mollem sits with his descendants in the garden of his country house, Zijdebalen (‘Silk Reams’), along the River Vecht near Utrecht. The portraitist, Verkolje, also designed the garden, which featured two large marble vases by the sculptor Jacob Cressant. Van Mollem was an authority on nature and is portrayed passing on his love of plants and science to his grandchildren.