The Family of Preacher Reinier Halma in Langerak on the Lek, 1652

About the Work

This ‘family photo’ shows a father, mother and three children posing before an idyllic landscape as their two dogs romp about. The painting bears three names: the signature at bottom left of Jacob Muller, who painted the figures and that of the landscapist Jacob van Bemmel on the right, while a “family tree” of sorts, and the key to the family’s identity, is provided by the third name, ‘Halma’, on the tree trunk to the right of the lady. Reinier Halma was a reformed minister in the village of Langerak near Utrecht. Its church steeple can be seen rising from the distant riverbank.