Portret van een koopman 1653 - 1706

Godfried Schalcken created this sketch of a merchant in the Netherlands sometime between 1643 and 1706 using pen in brown. The image shows the merchant in the midst of his work, with ledgers and a clerk visible in the background. This sketch gives us insight into the burgeoning merchant class of the Dutch Golden Age, a period of unprecedented economic growth and global trade. Amsterdam was at the heart of this, becoming one of the most important ports in the world. The presence of the clerk indicates the scale of the merchant’s operations. Schalcken’s choice to depict the merchant at work suggests a new kind of civic pride in labor and commerce. To understand this sketch better, we can look into archival sources that detail the lives and businesses of merchants during this period. Understanding the social and economic context of the time helps us appreciate the way Schalcken was capturing and perhaps even celebrating a pivotal shift in Dutch society.