Pieter van Ruijven

Pieter Claeszoon van Ruijven (December 1624 – 7 August 1674) has been known as Johannes Vermeer's main patron for the better part of the artist's career, but in 2023 his wife Maria de Knuijt was identified by the curators of the 2023 exhibition of Vermeer's works at the Rijksmuseum, in Amsterdam as the main patron due to her long-standing and supportive relationship with the artist. which provided relief to the poor and served as a diaconate for Delft. His fortune was made through wise investments of the riches they inherited, including investment in the Dutch East India Company. De Knuijt brought most of the wealth into the marriage. Van Ruijven became the Lord of Spalant when he purchased the land from Willem, Baron of Renesse on 11 April 1669. He used his new-found title when he witnessed the testament of Vermeer's sister. The van Ruijven family, who lived off the Oude Canal in Delft, were members of the Arminian party in the Dutch Reformed Church. The also lived off Voorstraet and in The Hague.

Van Ruijven had a daughter, Magdalena van Ruijven, baptized at the Old Church of Delft on 12 October 1655. She married Jacob Dissius on 14 April 1680, and was generally known after that by her husband's surname. Baptism records at the Old Church identify two additional children of Van Ruijven and his wife, Maria baptized in 1657 and Simon in 1662. They are believed to have died young, since they were not identified as heirs to Maria and Pieter's fortune.

Pieter died and was buried on 7 August 1674. Maria died by 26 February 1681 when she was buried in Delft next to her husband at the Old Church. Their daughter Magdalena died on 16 June 1682 at the age of 27. She and her husband had no children. The van Ruijven estate was inherited by Jacob Dissius and his father Abraham Dissius. As stipulated in Magdalena's will, Abraham was to inherit half of the estate if her mother had died before her and Magdalena and Jacob did not have any children. This may have been because Jacob, of no means himself, married Magdalena, who was an heiress. Jacob may have been given the printing press his father Abraham owned to use as a dowry, and Abraham was compensated by receiving half of his son's inheritance. Besides the Vermeer paintings passed down through the family, Magdalena's estate included her legacy of a house in Voorstraet, the domain of Spalant, and interest-bearing obligations.

Art collector John Michael Montias identified van Ruijven as Vermeer's main patron, beginning in 1657 when van Ruijven loaned 200 guilders to the artist. There is no record of such a relationship. In 2023, his wife Maria de Knuijt was identified by the curators of the 2023 exhibition of Vermeer's works at the Rijksmuseum, in Amsterdam as the main patron due to her long-standing and supportive relationship with the artist. who were from Delft and created works of Dutch subjects.

Popular culture Van Ruijven is depicted as a predatory lecher in Tracy Chevalier's historical novel Girl with a Pearl Earring (1999), and in the 2003 film of the book, although there is no evidence of this.