Cornelis Jansz. Witsen (bapt. 8 September 1605,

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 ...

– 12 March 1669, Amsterdam) was a counsellor and mayor of the city of Amsterdam. He was the father of

Nicolaes Witsen Nicolaes Witsen (8 May 1641 – 10 August 1717; modern Dutch: ''Nicolaas Witsen'') was a Dutch statesman who was mayor of Amsterdam thirteen times, between 1682 and 1706. In 1693 he became administrator of the Dutch East India Company (VOC). In ...

and the son of Jan Witsz(en) and Grietje Claes.

Biography

The

Witsen family Witsen (also spelled ''Witzen'') is a patrician family of Amsterdam. Its most notable member was the politician and scholar Nicolaes Witsen, but many other members of the family also held leading roles in trade and politics from the Dutch Gold ...

was involved in the

grain trade The grain trade refers to the local and international trade in cereals and other food grains such as wheat, barley, maize, and rice. Grain is an important trade item because it is easily stored and transported with limited spoilage, unlike othe ...

with

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eigh ...

. He began his career as captain of the

Schutterij 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 ...

and ended it as hoofdschout (head bailiff). In 1655 he was the administrator of the

Dutch West India Company The Dutch West India Company ( nl, Geoctrooieerde Westindische Compagnie, ''WIC'' or ''GWC''; ; en, Chartered West India Company) was a chartered company of Dutch merchants as well as foreign investors. Among its founders was Willem Usselincx ( ...

and had a seat in the

Admiralty of Amsterdam The Admiralty of Amsterdam was the largest of the five Dutch admiralties at the time of the Dutch Republic. The administration of the various admiralties was strongly influenced by provincial interests. The territory for which Amsterdam ...

. He was involved in the building of the Lands Zeemagazijn, now the Nederlands Scheepvaartmuseum. As a member of the

, in 1656, he was sent with a diplomatic mission to England for talks with

Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English politician and military officer who is widely regarded as one of the most important statesmen in English history. He came to prominence during the 1639 to 1651 Wars of the Three Ki ...

at the laws on shipping. He took his 15-year-old son with him. Witsen was a great patron of painting and supported the painter

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 co ...

through his 1653 financial problems by providing him with a loan to buy a house. Five years later Witsen caused Rembrandt's bankruptcy by claiming back these 4.180 guilders.Crenshaw, P. (2006) Rembrandt's Bankruptcy. The artist, his patrons and the art market in seventeent-century Netherlands, p. 70, 78. Witsen kept a library and was best known for his central role in

Bartholomeus van der Helst Bartholomeus van der Helst (1613 – buried 16 December 1670) was a Dutch painter. Considered to be one of the leading portrait painters of the Dutch Golden Age, his elegant portraits gained him the patronage of Amsterdam's elite as well as t ...

's painting ''

Peace of Münster The Peace of Münster was a treaty between the Lords States General of the Seven United Netherlands and the Spanish Crown, the terms of which were agreed on 30 January 1648. The treaty, parallelly negotiated to but not part of the Peace of We ...

'' which also features a poem by his favorite poet Jan Vos. His engraving for Jan Wagenaar's ''History of Amsterdam'' was taken from his portrait in this painting. The educator

Comenius John Amos Comenius (; cs, Jan Amos Komenský; pl, Jan Amos Komeński; german: Johann Amos Comenius; Latinized: ''Ioannes Amos Comenius''; 28 March 1592 – 15 November 1670) was a Czech philosopher, pedagogue and theologian who is consider ...

condemned him for supporting the proto-

Enlightenment Enlightenment or enlighten may refer to: Age of Enlightenment * Age of Enlightenment, period in Western intellectual history from the late 17th to late 18th century, centered in France but also encompassing (alphabetically by country or culture): ...

thinker Adriaan Koerbagh.

Sources

1605 births 1669 deaths Mayors of Amsterdam Dutch West India Company people from Amsterdam Administrators of the Dutch West India Company Cornelis {{Netherlands-mayor-stub