In the Golden Age, having your portrait painted was no longer exclusively reserved for royalty and the nobility. The Dutch citizenry could also be immortalized. The Haarlem portrait painter Johannes Verspronck counted many well-to-do citizens among his clientele. His modest style was particularly popular with regents with a Calvinist religious conviction. Verspronck may have been apprenticed to his famous fellow townsman Frans Hals, but in contrast to the loose and lively style of Hals, the painterly style of Verspronck is sober and precise. He always uses the same scheme, with the man and woman facing each other, looking at the viewer. A faint smile is always visible around the corners of his models. Also the dark clothes and the white feather that the woman has in her hand belong to the standard repertoire of Verspronck. The lady's triple collar with lace edges was in fashion at the time. Both the man and the woman radiate a certain dignity and reserve. Yet there are interesting differences between the ways in which they are portrayed. The man poses with elegant gestures and confidently puts his hand on his hip, whereby he exudes superiority. The woman, on the other hand, looks modest. She is smaller than her husband and her folded hands make her seem subdued. [https://collectie.rijksmuseumtwenthe.nl/zoeken-in-de-collectie/detail/id/b4c6793d-9442-501f-81e6-c45b996a882e] ...Who the man and woman in the paintings are unknown, but it is clear that a married couple is pictured here. Verspronck also painted their daughter: the famous Girl in Blue (Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam).... A Family Tragedy More than 40 family portraits come to life in the Lief en Leed exhibition. The portraits are by no means always truthful; children or wives are later repainted, deceased relatives are presented as living figures, or figures are painted away. Behind every portrait is a story. Together they tell about the love and suffering of family life. Also in the unknown family of Verspronck, a family tragedy has taken place. Verspronck also painted the portrait of the grandfather of the girl and the whole family was in the collection of the dukes of Oldenborg. Grand Duke Friedrich August van Oldenborg was forced to sell part of the painting collection in 1922. At the sale the Girl in Blue was separated from her parents. Totally alone, she went to the Rijksmuseum's gallery of honor while her parents and grandfather left for the United States. After a bit of wandering, the father and mother ended up in Enschede, when Gerrit Jan van Heek Jr. donated the portraits to the museum. [Google translation of text at https://www.rijksmuseumtwenthe.nl/content/2207/nl/restauratie-verspronck] See also Girl in Blue (http://curiator.com/art/johannes-cornelisz-verspronck/1) and Portrait of a Man, 1640.