
Maria Swartenhont was the daughter of two well-known residents of Amsterdam: Elisabeth Bas and Jochem Swartenhont. Jochem Swartenhont was a famous naval captain; later in life the couple opened a tavern together. It was a popular venue in fashionable circles: 'The Prince of Orange', on the corner of Nes and Pieter Jacobszstraat. Maria married Maerten Rey and had three children with him. She died in 1631, aged 33. Her children were then adopted and brought up by Maria's mother, Elisabeth Bas who was sixty years old and a widow by then. A counterpart to Maria's portrait exists, portraying her husband. The Rijksmuseum collection also includes portraits of her parents, her daughter Maria Rey and her son-in-law Roelof Meulenaer.
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