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Pieter de Graeff (15 August 1638 – 3 June 1707) was a Dutch
aristocrat The aristocracy (''from Greek'' ''ἀριστοκρατία'' ''aristokratía'', "rule of the best"; ''Latin: aristocratia'') is historically associated with a "hereditary" or a "ruling" social class. In many states, the aristocracy included the ...
of the
Dutch Golden Age The Dutch Golden Age ( ) was a period in the history of the Netherlands which roughly lasted from 1588, when the Dutch Republic was established, to 1672, when the '' Rampjaar'' occurred. During this period, Dutch trade, scientific development ...
and one of the most influential pro-state, republican
Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...
Regents In a monarchy, a regent () is a person appointed to govern a state because the actual monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge their powers and duties, or the throne is vacant and a new monarch has not yet been dete ...
during the late 1660s and the early 1670s before the Rampjaar 1672. As president- bewindhebber of the
Dutch East India Company The United East India Company ( ; VOC ), commonly known as the Dutch East India Company, was a chartered company, chartered trading company and one of the first joint-stock companies in the world. Established on 20 March 1602 by the States Ge ...
, he was one of the most important representatives and leaders of the same after the Rampjaar. De Graeff's political stance was characteristic of his family, on the one hand libertine and ' state oriented', republican on the other hand, if only partially, loyal to the House of Orange, the royalists. He held the titles as Free Lord of Zuid-Polsbroek and 19.th Free Lord of Ilpendam and Purmerland. De Graeff was in intimate contact with the statesmen Johan de Witt and Willem III of Orange, the painter Jan Lievens and the poet Joost van den Vondel.


Biography


Family De Graeff

Pieter de Graeff was a son of the Amsterdam regent and statesman
Cornelis de Graeff Cornelis de Graeff (15 October 1599 – 4 May 1664), often named ''Polsbroek'' or ''de heer van (lord) Polsbroek'' during his lifetime, was an influential regenten, regent and burgomaster (mayor) of Amsterdam, statesman and diplomat of Holland an ...
and Catharina Hooft and older brother of Jacob de Graeff.Pieter de Graeffs Biography at ''digitale bibliothek voor de nederlandse letteren'', part II (dutch)
/ref> The De Graeff family belonged to the ruling states oriented patriciate of the province of Holland. Both Pieter's father and his uncle Andries de Graeff were critical of the Orange family's influence. Together with the Republican political leader Grand Pensionary Johan de Witt, the De Graeff family strived for the abolition of
stadtholder In the Low Countries, a stadtholder ( ) was a steward, first appointed as a medieval official and ultimately functioning as a national leader. The ''stadtholder'' was the replacement of the duke or count of a province during the Burgundian and ...
ships, but also try to keep a good relationship with them and their sympathizers. They desired the full sovereignty of the individual regions in a form in which the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands was not ruled by a single person. Instead of a sovereign (or stadtholder) the political and military power was lodged with the States General and with the regents of the cities in Holland. During the two decades the De Graeff family had a leading role in the Amsterdam administration, the city was at the peak of its political power. This period was also referred to by Republicans as the ‘Ware Vrijheid’ (True Freedom). It was the
First Stadtholderless Period The First Stadtholderless Period (1650–72; ) was the period in the history of the Dutch Republic in which the office of Stadtholder was vacant in five of the seven Dutch provinces (the provinces of Friesland and Groningen (province), Groningen, ...
which lasted from 1650 to 1672. During these twenty years, the regents from Holland and in particular those of Amsterdam, controlled the republic. The city was flush with self-confidence and liked to compare itself to the famous Republic of Rome. Even without a stadtholder, things seemed to be going well for the Republic and its regents both politically and economically.


Coat of arms


Ancient coat of arms

Pieter de Graeff's coat of arms of origin was quartered and showed the following symbols: * field 1 (left above) the silver shovel on a red background of their paternal ancestors, the Herren von Graben * field 2 (right above) it shows a silver falcon on a blue background. The origin of the falcon lies in the possession of the Valckeveen estate (later the Valckenburg estate) in Gooiland * field 3 (left below), same as field 2 * field 4 (right below), same as field 1 * helmet covers in red and silver * helm adornment shows an upright silver spade with ostrich feathers (Herren von Graben) * motto: MORS SCEPTRA LIGONIBUS AEQUAT (DEATH MAKES SEPTRES AND HOES EQUAL)


1664 creation

The personal coat of arms of Pieter de Graeff of 1664 is quarterd with a heart shield and shows the following symbols: * heart shield shows the three silver rhombuses on red (originally from the family Van Woerdern van Vliet) of the High Lordship Zuid-Polsbroek * field 1 (left above) shows the silver shovel on red of their paternal ancestors, the Herren von Graben * field 2 (right above) shows the silver swan on blue of the Fief Vredenhof r that one (Waterland) of their maternal ancestors, the De Grebber">Waterland.html" ;"title="r that one (Waterland">r that one (Waterland) of their maternal ancestors, the De Grebber family * field 3 (left below), same as field 2 * field 4 (right below), same as field 1 * helmet covers in red and silver * helm adornment shows an upright silver spade with ostrich feathers (Herren von Graben) * motto: MORS SCEPTRA LIGONIBUS AEQUAT (DEATH MAKES SEPTRES AND HOES EQUAL)


1690 creation

The personal coat of arms of Pieter de Graeff is quartered with a heart shield and since 1690 it shows the following symbols: * heart shield shows the three silver rhombuses on red (originally from the family Van Woerdern van Vliet) of the High Lordship Zuid-Polsbroek * field 1 (left above) shows the silver shovel on red of their paternal ancestors, the Herren von Graben * field 2 (right above) shows the silver swan on blue of the Fief Vredenhof [or that one (Waterland) of their maternal ancestors, the De Grebber family * field 3 (left below) shows the silver goose in blue of Purmerland (Lordship of Purmerend, Purmerland and Ilpendam, High Lordship Purmerland and Ilpendam) * field 4 (right below) shows the red and black lions on gold (the arms of the County of Holland) for Ilpendam (High Lordship Purmerland and Ilpendam) above a blue area * shield holders are two silver swans * helmet covers in red and silver * helm adornment shows an upright silver spade with ostrich feathers (Herren von Graben) * motto: MORS SCEPTRA LIGONIBUS AEQUAT (DEATH MAKES SEPTRES AND HOES EQUAL)


Early years, marriage and offspring

In his youth, Pieter enjoyed education and private tuition from Johann Amos who, who provided him with an important educational basis.Häuslich - persönlich - innerlich: Bild und Frömmigkeitspraxis im Umfeld der Reformation, p 119, by Maria Deiters and Ruth Slenczka (De Gruyter, 2020)
/ref> In 1652 his father Cornelis de Graeff had his wife Catharina and their two sons Pieter and Jacob portrayed by
Jan Victors Jan Victors or Fictor (bapt. June 13, 1619 – December 1679) was a Dutch Golden Age painter mainly of history paintings of Biblical scenes, with some genre painting, genre scenes. He may have been a pupil of Rembrandt. He probably died in t ...
as
Isaac Isaac ( ; ; ; ; ; ) is one of the three patriarchs (Bible), patriarchs of the Israelites and an important figure in the Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and the Baháʼí Faith. Isaac first appears in the Torah, in wh ...
and
Rebecca Rebecca () appears in the Hebrew Bible as the wife of Isaac and the mother of Jacob and Esau. According to biblical tradition, Rebecca's father was Bethuel the Aramean from Paddan Aram, also called Aram-Naharaim. Rebecca's brother was Laban (Bi ...
with their sons
Jacob Jacob, later known as Israel, is a Hebrew patriarch of the Abrahamic religions. He first appears in the Torah, where he is described in the Book of Genesis as a son of Isaac and Rebecca. Accordingly, alongside his older fraternal twin brother E ...
and
Esau Esau is the elder son of Isaac in the Hebrew Bible. He is mentioned in the Book of Genesis and by the minor prophet, prophets Obadiah and Malachi. The story of Jacob and Esau reflects the historical relationship between Israel and Edom, aiming ...
. This allegorical work and De Graeff's portrayal as one of the patriarchs of a people and his wife and children should underscore its importance. In 1655, De Graeff went together with Joan Huydecoper van Maarsseveen and his eldest son Joan on a diplomatic mission to
Prince-elector The prince-electors ( pl. , , ) were the members of the Electoral College of the Holy Roman Empire, which elected the Holy Roman Emperor. Usually, half of the electors were archbishops. From the 13th century onwards, a small group of prince- ...
Frederick William of Brandenburg, to look for support against the war with Sweden. During the summers the family spent a lot of their time at the Palace Soestdijk, and in 1660 the brothers Pieter and Jacob played with the young
William III of Orange William III (William Henry; ; 4 November 1650 – 8 March 1702), also known as William of Orange, was the sovereign Prince of Orange from birth, Stadtholder of Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel in the Dutch Republic from 167 ...
, later
King of England The monarchy of the United Kingdom, commonly referred to as the British monarchy, is the form of government used by the United Kingdom by which a hereditary monarch reigns as the head of state, with their powers Constitutional monarchy, regula ...
,
Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
and
Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
and
stadtholder In the Low Countries, a stadtholder ( ) was a steward, first appointed as a medieval official and ultimately functioning as a national leader. The ''stadtholder'' was the replacement of the duke or count of a province during the Burgundian and ...
of the
United Provinces of the Netherlands The United Provinces of the Netherlands, commonly referred to in historiography as the Dutch Republic, was a confederation that existed from 1579 until the Batavian Revolution in 1795. It was a predecessor state of the present-day Netherla ...
, at the lake and woods at Soestdijk. After De Graeff did a Grand Tour through France and England, he married his niece Jacoba Bicker, sister of Wendela Bicker, who married Grand pensionary Johan de Witt. The protagonists of the patriciate were closely related, and the couple Pieter and Jacoba were also cousins of the brothers Johan and Cornelis de Witt. Pieter's brothers-in-law also included high official Gerard Bicker (I) van Swieten, arms dealer Jacob Trip and banker and financier Jean Deutz, all important and loyal political allies of Grand pensionary De Witt. At their wedding at Ilpenstein Castle, De Witt gave the wedding speech. The poets Gerard Brandt, Jan Vos and Joost van den Vondel, who were present "sang about" this wedding. The couple had three children: * Agneta de Graeff (1663–1725), married Jan Baptiste de Hochepied II (1669–1709), deputy to the General Accounting Chamberlain. She owned the cityhouse "Korte Vijverberg 3" in The Hague, the current cabinet of the king and at her death she had a fortune of 867,000
guilders Guilder is the English translation of the Dutch and German ''gulden'', originally shortened from Middle High German ''guldin pfenninc'' (" gold penny"). This was the term that became current in the southern and western parts of the Holy Rom ...
, of which she left 525,000 guilders to her cousin Gerard Bicker (II) van Swieten.De 500 Rijksten van de Republiek: Rijkdom, geloof, macht en cultuur, von Kees Zandvliet (see #16, Johan de Graeff)
/ref> Jan Baptiste was an uncle of Elbert de Hochepied, 2nd Baron de Hochepied, Dutch politician and diplomat *
Cornelis de Graeff Cornelis de Graeff (15 October 1599 – 4 May 1664), often named ''Polsbroek'' or ''de heer van (lord) Polsbroek'' during his lifetime, was an influential regenten, regent and burgomaster (mayor) of Amsterdam, statesman and diplomat of Holland an ...
(1671–1719), Free Lord of Purmerland and Ilpendam,
canon Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the material accepted as officially written by an author or an ascribed author * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western canon, th ...
in the
cathedral chapter According to both Catholic and Anglican canon law, a cathedral chapter is a college of clerics ( chapter) formed to advise a bishop and, in the case of a vacancy of the episcopal see in some countries, to govern the diocese during the vacancy. In ...
of St. Pieter in Utrecht * Johan de Graeff (1673–1714), Free Lord of Zuid-Polsbroek, Amsterdam regent


Career


Before the Rampjaar

In 1662, Pieter de Graeff became a member of the
vroedschap The ''vroedschap'' () was the name for the (all male) city council in the early modern Netherlands; the member of such a council was called a ''vroedman'', literally a "wise man". An honorific title of the ''vroedschap'' was the ''vroede vadere ...
of the City of Amsterdam. In 1664, after the death of his father Cornelis, he succeeded him as free lord of Zuid-Polsbroek and became a chief administrator of the Dutch East Indies Company (VOC). He was very interested in
agriculture Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...
, which he was able to follow eagerly as wind lifter of the VOC and as landlord. During the 1660s De Graeff became one of the guardians of prince
William III of Orange William III (William Henry; ; 4 November 1650 – 8 March 1702), also known as William of Orange, was the sovereign Prince of Orange from birth, Stadtholder of Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel in the Dutch Republic from 167 ...
. De Graeff was also an advisor and a close friend to his brother-in-law Grand Pensionary Johan de Witt. The relationship between the two is described as very good and intimate.Pieter de Graeffs Biography at ''digitale bibliothek voor de nederlandse letteren'', part VII (dutch)
/ref> The two shared an intensive correspondence. Some letters between the two deal with the upbringing of the young William of Orange, the ''child of state''. When De Graeff's sister-in-law and cousin Wendela Bicker died in 1668, he and his brother-in-law Jean Deutz were appointed guardians of their nephews and nieces and were responsible for handling the estate. In the early 1670s, under the influence of the orangist burgomasters Gillis Valckenier and Coenraad van Beuningen, an anti-De Witt faction crystallized in the Amsterdam city government. During the course of 1671, the Republican State Party, led by Pieter de Graeff, regained the upper hand in the Amsterdam city government. For a brief time it looked as if De Witt's republican system might be consolidated.


Rampjaar and afterwards

In the Rampjaar 1672,
Louis XIV LouisXIV (Louis-Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was King of France from 1643 until his death in 1715. His verified reign of 72 years and 110 days is the List of longest-reign ...
of France conquered large areas of the
Dutch Republic The United Provinces of the Netherlands, commonly referred to in historiography as the Dutch Republic, was a confederation that existed from 1579 until the Batavian Revolution in 1795. It was a predecessor state of the present-day Netherlands ...
. In order to protect the province of Holland, the States General had the dikes pierced and the sluices opened, flooding parts of the country. Although this stopped the advance of France, large areas of the country were devastated, which the population generally blamed on Johan de Witt. After the unsuccessful assassination attempt on De Witt on June 21 by Jacob van der Graeff, he was convalescent for a long time. During this time, Pieter de Graeff had two of his children with him. In a letter to De Witt, he emphasizes that there is no hurry, as he finds the children's company very pleasant.www.johandewitt.nl (Johan de Witt Stichting): "De zwager van De Witt.", gepubliceerd op 22 februari 2022 door IH
/ref> Since De Witt no longer saw any political prospects for himself after William of Orange was appointed stadholder of Holland, he resigned on August 4 as Grand Pensionary of Holland and West Friesland. At the beginning of September, the republican and ''Wittian'' (Johan de Witt) ''faction De Graeff'', including Pieter, his brother Jacob,
/ref> their uncles old-
burgomaster Burgomaster (alternatively spelled burgermeister, ) is the English form of various terms in or derived from Germanic languages for the chief magistrate or executive of a city or town. The name in English was derived from the Dutch . In so ...
Andries de Graeff and burgomaster Lambert Reynst, was expelled from the Amsterdam government. With the raise of the
House of Orange The House of Orange-Nassau (, ), also known as the House of Orange because of the prestige of the princely title of Orange, also referred to as the Fourth House of Orange in comparison with the other noble houses that held the Principality of O ...
and Gillis Valckenier at Amsterdam, the De Graeff family had no longer the chance to keep their power through Amsterdam and Holland. On August 20, the brothers Johan and Cornelis de Witt were murdered in the most horrible manner in The Hague by a crowd of Orange-minded people. After De Witts death he became the guardian over his five children, including Johan de Witt Jr. Here De Graeff benefited from his upbringing and pedagogical knowledge, which he received from
Comenius John Amos Comenius (; ; ; ; Latinization (literature), Latinized: ''Ioannes Amos Comenius''; 28 March 1592 – 15 November 1670) was a Czech Philosophy, philosopher, Pedagogy, pedagogue and Theology, theologian who is considered the father of ...
in his youth. His diary entries show that they were well taken care of. De Graeff remained only the function of a president-bewindhebber of the VOC, which he held until his death. Between the years 1671 and 1678 De Graeff, who increasingly emerged as one of the leaders of the VOC, worked closely with Joan Maetsuycker, the governor-general of the Dutch East Indies. Especially in the years 1673/74 the brothers Pieter and Jacob tried unsuccessfully with stadholder Willem III to come into favor. The brothers no longer enjoyed the favor of Willem, and both remained without office for the rest of their lives. In 1674, De Graeff had active cash assets of 130,000
guilders Guilder is the English translation of the Dutch and German ''gulden'', originally shortened from Middle High German ''guldin pfenninc'' (" gold penny"). This was the term that became current in the southern and western parts of the Holy Rom ...
, making him one of the 250 richest people of the Dutch Golden Age. In 1678 he inherited his aunt Maria Overlander van Purmerland, widow of Amsterdam burgomaster Frans Banning Cocq, who had a fortune of 200,000 guilders in 1674. This inheritance came from members of the Overlander, Hooft and Banninck Cocq families, from whom he also inherited the other assets. After the death of his brother and mother in 1691 he became lord of the high Lordship of Purmerland and Ilpendam. The historian Kees Zandvliet estimates De Graeff's fortune based on this and other inheritances at the end of the 17th century at at least 1 million guilders. Pieter de Graeff died in 1707 as a widower, after his wife Jacoba Bicker has died in 1695. He was buried in the family vault in the Oude Kerk at Amsterdam.


Art and lifestyle

Like his father Cornelis and his uncle Andries, Pieter de Graeff was also a man who surrounded himself with art and beauty. His estate contains several paintings depicting him at different stages of his life. He was painted by Gerard ter Borch,Pieter de Graeff in the farewell speech of prof. dr. C.W. Foc
''Het stempel van de bewoner'', p 9
(PDF; 1 MB)
Jan Lievens
Caspar Netscher Caspar (or Gaspar) Netscher (1639 – January 15, 1684) was a Dutch portrait and genre painter. He was a master in depicting oriental rugs, silk and brocade and introduced an international style to the Northern Netherlands. Life According to Arn ...
and Wallerant Vaillant, Govert Flinck and like his brother Jacob by
Karel Dujardin Karel Dujardin (September 27, 1626November 20, 1678) was a Dutch Golden Age painter. Although he did a few portraits and a few history paintings of religious subjects, most of his work is small Italianate landscape scenes with animals and peasan ...
There are also three group portraits with his parents and close relatives. The first dates from 1652 and was painted by
Jan Victors Jan Victors or Fictor (bapt. June 13, 1619 – December 1679) was a Dutch Golden Age painter mainly of history paintings of Biblical scenes, with some genre painting, genre scenes. He may have been a pupil of Rembrandt. He probably died in t ...
. It shows them as the biblical characters Archfather
Isaac Isaac ( ; ; ; ; ; ) is one of the three patriarchs (Bible), patriarchs of the Israelites and an important figure in the Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and the Baháʼí Faith. Isaac first appears in the Torah, in wh ...
and
Rebecca Rebecca () appears in the Hebrew Bible as the wife of Isaac and the mother of Jacob and Esau. According to biblical tradition, Rebecca's father was Bethuel the Aramean from Paddan Aram, also called Aram-Naharaim. Rebecca's brother was Laban (Bi ...
and their children
Esau Esau is the elder son of Isaac in the Hebrew Bible. He is mentioned in the Book of Genesis and by the minor prophet, prophets Obadiah and Malachi. The story of Jacob and Esau reflects the historical relationship between Israel and Edom, aiming ...
and
Jacob Jacob, later known as Israel, is a Hebrew patriarch of the Abrahamic religions. He first appears in the Torah, where he is described in the Book of Genesis as a son of Isaac and Rebecca. Accordingly, alongside his older fraternal twin brother E ...
. The second one, '' The Arrival of Cornelis de Graeff and Members of His Family at Soestdijk, His Country Estate'' by
Jacob van Ruisdael Jacob Isaackszoon van Ruisdael (;  1629 – 10 March 1682) was a Dutch painter, draughtsman, and etcher. He is generally considered the pre-eminent landscape painter of the Dutch Golden Age, a period of great wealth and cultural achie ...
and Thomas de Keyser shows him and his brother Jacob on their horses driving up with his parents and his uncles Willem Schrijver, Pieter Trip and Andries de Graeff in front of his father's country estate
Soestdijk Soestdijk () is a neighbourhood of Soest, Netherlands, Soest and a hamlet in the municipality of Baarn. Both are part of the province of Utrecht (province), Utrecht, Netherlands. The village gives its name to Soestdijk Palace, Paleis Soestdijk, wh ...
. In 1678, De Graeff was immortalized with his wife Jacoba Bicker and their daughter Agneta de Graeff by Emanuel de Witte in the painting Portrait of a Family in an Interior. C. W. Fock of the
University of Leiden Leiden University (abbreviated as ''LEI''; ) is a public research university in Leiden, Netherlands. Established in 1575 by William, Prince of Orange as a Protestant institution, it holds the distinction of being the oldest university in the Neth ...
describes in her work – ''Het stempel van de bewoner'' – Pieter de Graeffs patronage, art-collection and lifestyle. In 2007, Austrian artist Matthias Laurenz Gräff, a distant descendant of De Graeff, used Netscher's painting of Pieter in his painting "Ahnenfolge" (Ancestral Succession/Ancestry) as part of his diploma series. He stand also in close correspondence to his brother-in-law Grand Pensionary Johan de Witt, ambassador Jacob Boreel, poet Joost van den Vondel, painter Jan Lievens,
mathematician A mathematician is someone who uses an extensive knowledge of mathematics in their work, typically to solve mathematical problems. Mathematicians are concerned with numbers, data, quantity, mathematical structure, structure, space, Mathematica ...
,
astronomer An astronomer is a scientist in the field of astronomy who focuses on a specific question or field outside the scope of Earth. Astronomers observe astronomical objects, such as stars, planets, natural satellite, moons, comets and galaxy, galax ...
and
physicist A physicist is a scientist who specializes in the field of physics, which encompasses the interactions of matter and energy at all length and time scales in the physical universe. Physicists generally are interested in the root or ultimate cau ...
Christiaan Huygens Christiaan Huygens, Halen, Lord of Zeelhem, ( , ; ; also spelled Huyghens; ; 14 April 1629 – 8 July 1695) was a Dutch mathematician, physicist, engineer, astronomer, and inventor who is regarded as a key figure in the Scientific Revolution ...
as well as to polymath
Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (or Leibnitz; – 14 November 1716) was a German polymath active as a mathematician, philosopher, scientist and diplomat who is credited, alongside Sir Isaac Newton, with the creation of calculus in addition to ...
Pieter de Graeff lived in the cityhouse at Amsterdam's Herengracht No. 573, today's Tassenmuseum Hendrikje, the country estates ''Valkenburg'', ''Vogelsang'' and ''Bronstee'', and Ilpenstein Castle. ''Valkenburg'' (the former estate ''Valckeveen'' of his grandfather Dirck Jansz Graeff) near
Heemstede Heemstede () is a town and a municipality in the Western Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. In 2021, it had a population of 27,545. Located just south of the city of Haarlem on the border with South Holland, it is one of the richest ...
, acquired Pieter, his uncle Andries de Graeff and his cousin and brother-in-law Gerard Bicker (I) van Swieten in 1675 in equal shares from his aunt Christina de Graeff (1609–1679). From 1685 Pieter was the sole owner. In his diaries he made several notes on negotiations and payments from his possessions. He encountered some problems with the famous graphical artist Romeyn de Hooghe, who was going to draw an artistic map of ''Valkenburg''. Besides he had some maps coloured by the artist David Reerigh, who also coloured several maps of the ''Hoogheemraadschap of Rijnland'' of 1687.


Library

Pieter de Graeff's library in his Amsterdam town house at 573 Herengracht, later the Tassenmuseum Hendrikje, comprised more than 2,300 books in various languages and on a wide variety of subjects, forming a microcosm of 17th-century knowledge. He owned works in the legal and theological fields, but he was also interested in historical events and geopolitical subjects. Also, there are various descriptions of distant places, travel guides, manuals for learning foreign languages, and dictionaries. He owned medical books and manuscripts, including a handwritten prescription by Danish astronomer
Tycho Brahe Tycho Brahe ( ; ; born Tyge Ottesen Brahe, ; 14 December 154624 October 1601), generally called Tycho for short, was a Danish astronomer of the Renaissance, known for his comprehensive and unprecedentedly accurate astronomical observations. He ...
. He had writings on chemistry, mathematics, politics, personal notes by his uncle burgomaster Andries Bicker and basic papers, particularly on the De Dolphijn house, formerly owned by his great-uncle burgomaster Volkert Overlander and later by his son-in-law, and De Graeff's uncle, burgomaster Frans Banninck Cocq. De Graeff also collected medals and coins and also owned books about coins and medals. But that was only a fraction of his entire book collection. Thanks to a list of estates drawn up after his death in 1707, it is possible to get an idea of his possessions and collections. An auction catalog that appeared after the turn of the millennium also ensures that his library can be reconstructed in Detail.Gemeente Amsterdam. Erfgoed van de Week , De boekenkamer van Pieter de Graeff (7 april 2022)
/ref>


Diaries

Pieter de Graeff kept an intense diary for most of his life. Between the years 1664 and 1706 he had written diaries of approximately 1600 pages.


Genealogical activity

Pieter de Graeff was an excessive
genealogist Genealogy () is the study of families, family history, and the tracing of their Lineage (anthropology), lineages. Genealogists use oral interviews, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family ...
, collector of family papers and chronicler of writings and documents of his family throughout his life. Through him, many genealogical facts and information about his gender are still archived today. The De Graeff family archive in Amsterdam contained many of these pieces as late as 1912. He archived his uncle Amsterdam burgomaster and statesman Andries Bicker's personal notes and basic papers, as well as particularly notes about the De Dolphijn house, formerly owned by his great-uncle burgomaster Volkert Overlander and later by his son-in-law and De Graeff's uncle burgomaster Frans Banninck Cocq. He also compiled the (older) genealogy of the imperial barons De Petersen, to whom he was related as a grand cousin of Count Palatine Jacob de Petersen.


=The family album of Frans Banninck Cocq

= In the Amsterdam patriciate of the 16th and 17th centuries, there were two families with very similar names, the Banning(h) family, also known as Benning(h), and the Banninck family, which were not closely related to each other. The first-named family was of greater importance, since they were members of the city government for a longer period of time. Frans Banninck Cocq, the captain in Rembrandt's famous painting
The Night Watch ''Militia Company of District II under the Command of Captain Frans Banninck Cocq'', also known as ''The Shooting Company of Frans Banning Cocq and Willem van Ruytenburch'', but commonly referred to as ''The Night Watch'' (), is a 1642 painting ...
and Pieter de Graeff's uncle and
testator A testator () is a person who has written and executed a last will and testament that is in effect at the time of their death. It is any "person who makes a will."Gordon Brown, ''Administration of Wills, Trusts, and Estates'', 3d ed. (2003), p. ...
, belonged to the less important Banninck family via his mother's side. Due to the similar names, there were already misspellings among contemporaries. A two-part family album created by Banninck Cocq contains numerous colored drawings and watercolors in addition to a copy of The Night Watch. It shows the genealogy of his family, with illustrations of a number of coats of arms. Numerous buildings are also shown to which Banninck Cocq had a relationship. Many of the illustrations were probably painted by himself, and the book was completed by himself around 1654. The Night Watch was probably painted by Jacob Colijns on behalf of Banninck Cocq. A number of handwritten additions were made by De Graeff after Banninck Cocq's death in 1655. It is possible that other drawings and watercolors in the family book were also added by Colijns after Banninck Cocq's death, who also forged or falsified documents on other families related to him in De Graeff's favor. For a long time it was assumed that Banninck Cocq himself had manipulated the family albums in such a way that they proved his origin from the older patrician family. In fact, the forgeries were made in the handwriting of De Graeff, who had lost all municipal offices after the Rampjaar in 1672 and therefore also had reason and opportunity to improve his family history. The painter Colijns, who may have also painted the copy of the Night Watch in the family album, and the poet Joost van den Vondel also assisted him in manipulating this family history. The Dutch historian Johan Engelbert Elias published his two-volume history of the Amsterdam city government ''De vroedschap van Amsterdam, 1578–1795'' between 1903 and 1905. Elias did not see through De Graeff's forgeries and combined both families into one, but this could be refuted in the 21st century by new research and the completely different family crests. The family book is still owned by the De Graeff family and is on permanent loan in the Rijksprentenkabinet of the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam.Stichting Foundation
Rembrandt Research Project The Rembrandt Research Project (RRP) was an initiative of the Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek (NWO), which is the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research. Its purpose was to organize and categorize research on Remb ...
(Hg.): ''A Corpus of Rembrandt Paintings. III. 1635–1642.'' Martinus Nijhoff, Dordrecht, Boston, London 1989, , chapter ''A146 The Night Watch'', p 430–485.


Titles


Notes


Literature

* Zandvliet, Kees (2006) ''De 250 rijksten van de Gouden Eeuw: kapitaal, macht, familie en levensstijl'' blz. 93 t/m 94, uitg. Nieuw Amsterdam, Amsterdam, * Burke, P. (1994) ''Venice and Amsterdam. A study of seventeenth-century élites.'' * Graeff, P. De (P. de Graeff Gerritsz en Dirk de Graeff van Polsbroek) ''Genealogie van de familie De Graeff van Polsbroek'' Amsterdam 1882, Antiquariaat A.G. van der Steur * Bruijn, J. H. ''De Genealogie van het geslacht De Graeff van Polsbroek 1529/1827'' Antiquariaat A.G. van der Steur * Moelker, H.P. ''De heerlijkheid Purmerland en Ilpendam'' (1978 Purmerend)


External links


Biographie Pieter de Graeff – Nieuw Nederlandsch biografisch woordenboek. Deel 2

Biographie Pieter de Graeff – Nieuw Nederlandsch biografisch woordenboek. Deel 7

Pieter de Graeff by Caspar Netscher, Rijksmuseum Amsterdam


{{DEFAULTSORT:Graeff, Pieter De 1638 births 1707 deaths Dutch nobility 17th-century Dutch politicians Pieter, de Graeff Aldermen of Amsterdam Lords of Zuid-Polsbroek Lords of Purmerland and Ilpendam Administrators of the Dutch East India Company Burials at the Oude Kerk, Amsterdam