Six is a well-known Dutch family from

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

. The family originally came from the region of

Lille Lille ( , ; nl, Rijsel ; pcd, Lile; vls, Rysel) is a city in the northern part of France, in French Flanders. On the river Deûle, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, region, the Pref ...

in the north of

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History

The name Six is an abbreviation of Sixtus, a name given to the sixth child of a family. The first known member, Guillaume Six, was a linen weaver in Armentières and

. His son Charles Six moved the family to

circa 1586. Charles Six's children were: * Guillaume Six (1563–1619), ancestor of the Six van Oterleek branch of the family * Chrétienne Six (1566–1645), married

Nicolaus Mulerius Nicolaus Mulerius (25 December 1564, Bruges – 5 September 1630, Groningen) was a professor of medicine and mathematics at the University of Groningen. Education and career Mulerius was born Nicolaas Des Muliers, son of Pierre Des Muliers ...

(1564–1630), medic and astronomer * Jean Six (1575–1617), ancestor of the Six van Hillegom branch of the family Both branches of the family have been raised to the Dutch nobility at the rank of

baron Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knig ...

, with other members of the family carrying the honorific of

Jonkheer (female equivalent: ; french: Écuyer; en, Squire) is an honorific in the Low Countries denoting the lowest rank within the nobility. In the Netherlands, this in general concerns a prefix used by the untitled nobility. In Belgium, this is the ...

Six van Oterleek

(1772–1833) served as Finance Minister of the Netherlands 1814–1821. He was raised to the nobility with the title Jonkheer in 1815, and raised to the hereditary rank of baron in 1820. (1829–1908) served as Interior Minister of the Netherlands 1879–1882.

Six van Hillegom

Several family members were painted by

Rembrandt Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (, ; 15 July 1606 – 4 October 1669), usually simply known as Rembrandt, was a Dutch Golden Age painter, printmaker and draughtsman. An innovative and prolific master in three media, he is generally consid ...

. This branch of the family are the keepers of the Six Collection. Jean Six (1575–1617) died two months before the birth of his son

Jan Six Jan Six (14 January 1618, Amsterdam – 28 May 1700, Amsterdam) was an important cultural figure in the Dutch Golden Age. Biography From a well-to-do cloth merchant family Six, Jan Six was the son of Jean Six (1575–1617) and his wife Anna Wijme ...

(1618–1700), Mayor of Amsterdam, a writer and a notable art collector. His son (1668–1750), also Mayor of Amsterdam, bought the

fiefdom A fief (; la, feudum) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a form o ...

Hillegom Hillegom () is a town and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. Hillegom is part of an area called the Duin- en Bollenstreek ("Dune and Bulb Region"). As such, a large portion of the local economy was tradition ...

. Jan Six VII (1857–1926) was an art historian, and Rector of the University of Amsterdam. He opened the family art collection to the public as the Six Collection in 1922. The present baron is Jan Six X. His son Jan Six XI is an art historian and art dealer, who identified ''

Portrait of a Young Gentleman ''Portrait of a Young Gentleman'' is a c. 1635 painting attributed to the Dutch painter Rembrandt. The painting has not yet been catalogued as by Rembrandt, but was sold as "circle of Rembrandt" by Christie's in London for GBP 137,000 (approximat ...

'' as by

, the first 'new' Rembrandt identified in 44 years.

Famous members

(1618–1700), Mayor of Amsterdam * (1668–1750), Mayor of Amsterdam * (1772–1833), Finance Minister of the Netherlands * (1790–1847) and his wife

Lucretia Johanna van Winter Lucretia Johanna van Winter (April 15, 1785 – February 28, 1845) was a Dutch art collector. Winter was born in Amsterdam as the oldest child of the wealthy merchant Pieter van Winter who received visitors to his art gallery that he had installe ...

(1785–1845), art collectors * (1829–1908), Interior Minister of the Netherlands *

(1857–1926), art historian, Rector of the University of Amsterdam * Tom Six (born 1973), film-maker, writer/director of the (in)famous The Human Centipede films *

(born 1978), art dealer and art historian

Bibliography

*Nederland's Adelsboek 93 (2008), p. 139-191. .

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Six Family Surnames Dutch noble families Dutch patrician families