The Discovery of Jan Claasz

Troost painted various scenes from the popular play “Jan Claasz or the Supposed Servant Girl”. The play’s finale is an accumulation of farcical situations.

Saartje is on the verge of marrying the boring Reinier. What no-one knows is that she is secretly in love with Jan Claasz. In order to prevent the wedding, the couple have hatched a plot: disguised as a servant girl, Saartje’s lover creeps into her bed at night. On the morning of the wedding, Saartje’s parents discover the deceit and fly into a rage. To save the situation, Saatje pretends to faint, whereupon her parents agree to a marriage between Saartje and Jan Claaz. All’s well that ends well.