Adolf and Catharina Croeser, sitting on the Oude Delft

Jan Steen (1625–1679), Adolf und Catharina Croeser an der Oude Delft, Öl auf Leinwand, 82,5 cm x 68,5 cm, 1655; Bildquelle: © Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam.

Adolf Croeser, a wealthy citizen of Delft, donated 30 guilders in 1646 to the Delft fund for the poor. Here he is also presented to the viewer as a benefactor of the indigent. Like many self-confident citizens of his time he is portrayed with a hand resting on his hip – the correspondingly angled elbow has been called the "Renaissance elbow".

Jan Steen (1625–1679), Adolf and Catharina Croeser, sitting on the Oude Delft, oil on canvas, 82.5 cm x 68.5 cm, 1655; source: © Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam.