Portrait of a Member of the Van der Mersch Family

In 1736 Troost painted this young man from a wealthy Mennonite family in Amsterdam. The museum thinks he is probably one of three Van der Mersch brothers, perhaps Johannes, who was then in his late twenties. The portrait keeps no distance. He turns towards us from his chair with a half-smile, as if we had just walked in, and that easy manner is typical of Dutch portraits of the 18th century. Everything around him describes a gentleman's pastimes. He holds a drawing, a book on art lies on the table, and an open music book carries the family coat of arms. A cello leans against a chair, and a globe stands at the other side of the room. Troost put his signature and the date on that globe.