Florens Pieter van der Houff - detail of schutterstuk by Frans Hals

Florens Pietersz van der Houff (c.1600 – 12 November 1657), was a magistrate and mayor of Haarlem who became a member of the

Admiralty of Amsterdam The Admiralty of Amsterdam was the largest of the five Dutch admiralties at the time of the Dutch Republic The United Provinces of the Netherlands, also known as the (Seven) United Provinces, officially as the Republic of the Seven ...

during the years 1655 - 1657.Florens van der Houff in ''Collections of Paintings in Haarlem: 1572-1745'', by Peter Biesboer (editor Carol Togneri), Getty Trust Publications, Los Angeles, 2003

Biography

He was born in Delft as the son of the mayor Pieter van der Houff and his wife Bartha van Adrichem. He married Risje, the daughter of Johan Claesz Loo on 10 June 1624. He is portrayed as lieutenant in the

militia group portrait Schutterij () refers to a voluntary city guard or citizen militia in the medieval and early modern Netherlands, intended to protect the town or city from attack and act in case of revolt or fire. Their training grounds were often on open spaces w ...

(''schutterstuk'') by Pot '' The Officers of the St Adrian Militia Company in 1630'' and again as captain in ''

The Officers of the St George Militia Company in 1639 ''The Officers of the St George Militia Company in 1639'' refers to the last and largest schutterstuk painted by Frans Hals for the St. George (or St. Joris) civic guard of Haarlem, and today is considered one of the main attractions of the F ...

'' by

Frans Hals Frans Hals the Elder (, , ; – 26 August 1666) was a Dutch Golden Age painter, chiefly of individual and group portraits and of genre works, who lived and worked in Haarlem. Hals played an important role in the evolution of 17th-century group ...

, where he is standing between Lt.

Cornelis Coning Cornelis Coning or Koning (1601 – 3 April 1671), was an engraver and mayor of Haarlem. Biography He was born in Haarlem as the son of Hendrick Hendricksz and Neeltje Soeteman who married Catharina Regoot in 1632.Nicolaes Grisz Grauwert looking over at his father-in-law. He later became mayor of Haarlem and governor of Het Dolhuys as well as the ''

Oude Mannenhuis An Oudemannenhuis, or ''Old Men's house'' is a Dutch term for a home for poor men older than sixty, who could spend their final days enjoying regular meals and a clean place to sleep. It can be regarded as an early type of retirement home, which la ...

''. He also served as church warden in Haarlem and as a member of the admiralty of Amsterdam in 1655-1657. He died in Haarlem and his estate included several paintings by leading Haarlem painters, of which there were portraits of himself, his wife, his father-in-law, and Jacobus Buttinga.

References

Floris Pietersz. van der Hoef
on

KNAW The Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences ( nl, Koninklijke Nederlandse Akademie van Wetenschappen, abbreviated: KNAW) is an organization dedicated to the advancement of science and literature in the Netherlands. The academy is housed ...

website 1600s births 1657 deaths Mayors of Haarlem People from Delft Frans Hals {{Netherlands-politician-stub