Jacob Abrahamsz. Dissius (1653 - 1695) was a Dutch

typographer Typography is the art and technique of arranging type to make written language legible, readable and appealing when displayed. The arrangement of type involves selecting typefaces, point sizes, line lengths, line-spacing (leading), and ...

and printer. He is most notable as an art collector and for his links to

Johannes Vermeer Johannes Vermeer ( , , see below; also known as Jan Vermeer; October 1632 – 15 December 1675) was a Dutch Baroque Period painter who specialized in domestic interior scenes of middle-class life. During his lifetime, he was a moderately suc ...

- his collection included 21 Vermeer works (including '' The Milkmaid'', '' Portrait of a Young Woman'', '' A Girl Asleep'', '' Woman Holding a Balance'' and ''

The Music Lesson ''The Music Lesson'', ''Woman Seated at a Virginal'' or ''A Lady at the Virginals with a Gentleman'' by Johannes Vermeer is a painting of a young female pupil receiving a music lesson from a man. The man's mouth is slightly agape giving the im ...

'') and in 1680 he married Madgdalene, daughter and sole heir of Vermeer's main patron Pieter van Ruijven. Dissius died in 1695 and his collection was auctioned off in

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 following year.

Biography

Jacob Dissius was baptised on 23 November 1653 in

Delft Delft () is a city and municipality in the province of South Holland, Netherlands. It is located between Rotterdam, to the southeast, and The Hague, to the northwest. Together with them, it is part of both the Rotterdam–The Hague metropolitan ...

as the son of Maria Cloeting and the printer Abraham Dissius. He married Magdalena Pieters van Ruijven, daughter of Pieter van Ruijven, born in 1655. Dissius' father-in-law was one of the wealthier citizens of Delft, and became a patron of Vermeer. She inherited her parents' money and art collection after the death of her mother in 1681. When she died childless in 1682, he inherited her collection of Vermeer paintings and other works of art. He was the owner of the "Golden ABC" ("Het Gulden ABC"), a print shop on the of Delft. Jacob Dissius died in October 1695 (he was buried on 14 October), and his art collection was sold on 16 May 1696 by art dealer

Gerard Hoet Gerard Hoet (; 22 August 1648 – 2 December 1733) was a Dutch Golden Age painter and engraver. Biography Gerard Hoet trained with his father and brother who were glass painters, and Warnard van Rijsen, who lived in Zaltbommel, and who hi ...

in Amsterdam.

Art collection

Three documents are crucial in reconstructing the art collection of Jacob Dissius: the inventory of his estate in April 1683, after the death of his parents-in-law and his wife; a document listing the division of this inheritance between Jacob and his father Abraham Dissius, which was united in Jacob's possession after the death of his father in 1694; and the list of the auction of his collection after his death in October 1695.

Jan Vermeer

Of the 21 paintings by Vermeer in the Dissius auction of 1696, 15 are usually matched to currently known paintings, while 6 others are either lost or unidentified.

Identified works

*'' A Girl Asleep'' *'' Officer and Laughing Girl'' *'' The Little Street'' *'' Woman Holding a Balance'' *'' The Milkmaid'' *'' View of Delft'' *''

The Lacemaker ''The Lacemaker'' (french: La Dentellière) is a 1977 French drama film directed by Claude Goretta and starring Isabelle Huppert and Yves Beneyton. It is based on the 1974 Prix Goncourt winning novel '' La Dentellière'' by Pascal Lainé. ...

'' *'' Woman with a Pearl Necklace'' *'' A Lady Writing a Letter'' *'' Lady Standing at a Virginal'' or '' Lady Seated at a Virginal'' (the other was owned at the same time by

Diego Duarte Diego Duarte may refer to: * Diego Duarte (art collector) * Diego Duarte (footballer) * Diego Duarte Delgado, Colombian sport shooter {{hndis, Duarte, Diego ...

) *''

The Girl with the Wine Glass ''The Girl with the Wine Glass'' (''Dame en twee heren'') is an oil on canvas painting by Johannes Vermeer, created ''c.'' 1659–1660, now in the Herzog Anton Ulrich Museum, in Braunschweig. Painting materials The pigment analysis done by Herman ...

'' *'' Girl Interrupted at Her Music'' or '' The Concert'' *'' The Guitar Player'' *'' Mistress and Maid'' or '' Girl Reading a Letter at an Open Window'' *''

Vermeer paintings now considered lost or unidentified

*''Portrait of Vermeer with Various Accessories'' (sometimes thought to be '' The Art of Painting (Vermeer)'') *''Seigneur Washing his Hands'' *''A View of a House Standing in Delft'' *''A

Tronie A tronie is a type of work common in Dutch Golden Age painting and Flemish Baroque painting that depicts an exaggerated or characteristic facial expression. These works were not intended as portraits but as studies of expression, type, physiog ...

in Antique Dress'' (sometimes thought to be '' Girl with a Red Hat'') and two other tronies (perhaps '' Portrait of a Young Woman (Vermeer, New York)'' and '' Girl with a Pearl Earring'')

Others

*A seascape by Jan Porcellis *Four landscapes by Simon de Vlieger *Three church paintings by

Emanuel de Witte Emanuel de Witte (1617–1692) was a Dutch perspective painter. In contrast to Pieter Jansz Saenredam, who emphasized architectural accuracy, De Witte was more concerned with the atmosphere of his interiors. Though few in number, de Witte als ...

tronie A tronie is a type of work common in Dutch Golden Age painting and Flemish Baroque painting that depicts an exaggerated or characteristic facial expression. These works were not intended as portraits but as studies of expression, type, physiog ...

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 ...

*A portrait of Erasmus

Notes

External links

Sale catalogue
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dissius, Jacob 1653 births 1695 deaths Dutch art collectors Dutch printers Johannes Vermeer People from Delft