Foundation Musick's MonumentJohannes Lodewijk Dulcken ( 1735 - ± 1795)
Henk Poelarends en Hans Meijer
Introduction
He was described as quick-tempered and quarrelsome1*, but now that extensive archival research2* has been carried out for the first time, that image has been completely overturned. Johannes Lodewijk Dulcken appears to have been a strong personality3*, an important link between the brilliant harpsichord maker Johan Daniel Dulcken (father) and the equally brilliant pianoforte maker Johannes Lodewijk Dulcken (son), with his Hasselt4* period (1761-1776) was of great significance for the further development of the harpsichord into the pianoforte5*.
Maastricht, the Netherlands. View of the Markt (market square) and town hall. Drawing attributed to Jan de Beijer, ca 1740, in the collection of the Museum Boymans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam.
Youth
Johannes Lodewijk Dulcken was baptised on 15 April 1735 in St. Janskerk in Maastricht6* as the eldest son of Johannes Daniël Dulcken and Susanna Maria Knopffell. His father was a harpsichord maker and his mother ran a grocery shop (grutterij)7*.
The young family had financial problems and could no longer pay their loans and debts. Around the turn of the year 1737/388* , his parents left their house on the Munt, “Het Gulde Cruijs”, and moved to Antwerp, where his father set up a workshop in Hopland9*. Louis was three years old at the time.
As a child, he attended the Reformed Municipal Latin School in Breda10*.
Johannes Lodewijk (nicknamed Louis) and his brother Joannes, seven years his junior, then received a thorough education from their father in Antwerp. Not only did they learn how to build harpsichords in the Ruckers tradition, but their father Dulcken also developed harpsichords with a unique tone colour and even better construction.
In 1755, at the age of nineteen, Louis left to strike out on his own. One of his first commissions was the restoration of an organ in the Brabant town of De Leur11*. His task there was to restore and clean the organ.
After completing his work in De Leur, he left for Amsterdam, where he was registered as a member of the Reformed Church12* in Amsterdam in March 1755. Just as he decided to leave Amsterdam and settle in Kleve13*, he met Catharina Koning. Catrina Kooningh was born on 23 January 173214* in Amsterdam and was the daughter of Ferdinand Kooningh, born in Osnabrugge, and Alida Buijs. Louis decided to stay in Amsterdam to set up a business there. The young couple married on 7 May 175615*. Louis's father had to give his consent because he was still a minor16*.
Amsterdam
Louis Dulcken establishes a successful business in Amsterdam. The family lives south of the Cathuysers Kerkhof, near the Weduwe Hofje17*, and Dulcken sells his instruments from there. His first advertisement appears in the Amsterdam Courant on 18 May 175618*. He presents himself as Mr Louis Dulcken, organ builder, and offers a “Stert Clavecimbael”, an authentic Hans Ruckers. Three months later, he presents himself as Master Organ and Harpsichord Builder.
These advertisements show that he also specialised in building small and large organs and that he also sold hundred-year-old Ruckers. On Tuesday 7 September 175619*, he offered a Stert harpsichord by Mr. Daniël Dulcken in Antwerp with a keyboard and three registers. In order to increase production, he employs one or more assistants. He follows the tradition developed by his father in the construction of his harpsichords, which also include features of the famous Ruckers. In the construction of his organs, he constantly makes improvements and embellishments. When his father dies on 11 April 1757, he supports his mother in Antwerp.20*
On 5 May 175721* he offered for sale a “superbe (excellent) Koninglyk Cabinet Orgel, welker gelijke hier nooit gezien is, een Capitale Cabinet Orgel 8 voet present, 4 voet Octaaff, 7 en 1 half register”. This organ was probably sold to merchant Jacob de Clerq (1710-1777)22*, Keizersgracht 187, where it was used as a house organ. In 1818, it was sold to the Reformed Church in Jutphaas23* , where it continued to serve as a Dulcken organ until 197224*.
Louis continued to innovate. In April 175925* , he advertised "een magnificq nieuwerwets Cabinet-Orgel, zynde zeer comodieus gemaakt met uithaalend Clavier en voorzien van de voornaamste Registers &c". Dulcken also made very small organs, known as desk organs. It is believed that he was one of the first organ builders in Amsterdam to master this art and attract attention with it526*.
Hasselt
In the winter of 176227* Louis leaves with his wife and three small children, crosses the Zuiderzee and settles in Hasselt (Overijssel).
The Dulcken family moved into a stately mansion28* in Hasselt on the corner of Nieuwstraat and Regenboogsteeg29*. He rented the property from Hendrik van Hecht, a merchant from Amsterdam30*. (The building was captured in a painting by Cornelis Springer in 1863.) Later, he bought a workshop on Hofstraat31*. In Hasselt, Louis was addressed as Mr Dulcken.
The young family brought three small children with them to Hasselt: Susanna Maria, just five years old, Alida, four years old, and Johan Lodewijk Jr., a few months old32*.
A year later, Johan Daniël Dulcken was born and baptised on Sunday 13 May 1763 in the Reformed Church, a hundred metres away33*. The little boy, named after his famous grandfather, died a few months later. On 22 July 1764, Johan Daniël was baptised, followed by Johannes Ferdinandus on 16 March 176634*.
He sold the harpsichords made by him and his servants35* throughout the Northern Netherlands, from Middelburg36* to Groningen37*. In 1766, he took his instruments to Leeuwarden38*. There, on 5 April 1766, he was announced as Master Organ and Harpsichord Maker from Hasselt and offered a magnificent three-register harpsichord of his own making for sale. Dulcken, according to the newspaper, had already sold well over a hundred of these instruments in the Netherlands, and they were used in most of the major concerts. The harpsichord was particularly strong and pleasant in tone. In 1767, he repaired an organ in Wolvega39*.
Problems
Louis gets into debt. He borrows money40*, cannot pay for supplies41* and the servants demand their wages in arrears42*. He gets into arguments with his neighbours43*, with an innkeeper44* and with the magistrate45*. He becomes the victim of physical violence and malicious slander46*. His harpsichords are confiscated47* and he is even imprisoned48*. The archives of Old Hasselt contain a large number of documents relating to lawsuits brought against him by others and by Louis against others49*. In the lawsuits, he is assisted by Verwalter Hoogschout A.U. Grevensteijn50*. Meanwhile, he continues to make and sell harpsichords.
On 13 January 1768, a son is born, whom they name Ferdinandus. Unfortunately, he also dies a month later51*. In december 1768 wordt Johannes geboren en op de tweede kerstdag in de Gereformeerde Kerk gedoopt52*.
In the spring of 1769, Susanna Maria Dulcken, Louis's mother, came to live with her son in Hasselt53*. She was the widow of Johan Daniël Dulcken. On 7 August, she was registered as a member of the Reformed Church. Louis applied for citizenship of Hasselt, which was rejected by the Magistrate on 18 October 177054*. In August 1772, Catharina was born and baptised in the Reformed Church on 19 August55*.
In the course of 1771/1772, Louis's problems pile up, but he is well known to a large part of the population. In order to gain influence within the Magistrate, he writes a request to Prince William V prior to the mayoral election of 1772. The request states that, due to his achievements and good behaviour, he deserves to become mayor. The document was signed by members of the influential skippers' guild and other prominent citizens56* 57*. The magistrate reacted furiously and, after questioning, Louis was imprisoned “under the stairs” for two weeks on 7 January 177258*. he request was rejected 59*. He applied to the church council for membership of the Reformed Church, but this was also rejected60*. The legal proceedings against him and by him dragged on, partly because Louis was spending more and more time outside the city61*. He focused increasingly on the Southern Netherlands for the sale of his harpsichords.
Back to Antwerp
On 18 August 1772, he applied to the Magistrate for a certificate of good conduct62*, after which he settled in Antwerp63* in the autumn of 177264*. His eldest son Johannes Lodewijk (Louis jr.) went with him. His wife, mother and other children remained in Hasselt65*. The workshop in Hasselt was closed and his three servants, Johan Gerlach Lauch (who had been in his service for 10 years), Johann Lodewijk Reusch (who had been in his service for 6 years) and Jacob Schnell (who had been in training for six years)66* seized several harpsichords on 16 April due to unpaid wages67*. Despite these unpaid wages, Reusch and Schnell accompany him to Antwerp and continue to work for their master there. On 10 September 1773, he advertises himself in the Gazette as: “Jean Louis Dulcken, (eldest son of the late Daniël Dulcken), master organ and harpsichord maker, currently in Antwerp, with the intention of settling there in due course”.
Dulcken experimented with the construction of the pianoforte in Hasselt and devoted himself to this in Antwerp from 1774 onwards. In the Gazette of 6 July 177568*, he stated: ”dat by alhier heeft doen brengen twee Clavecin-Bellen, te weten een Steirt-Stuk en een Forte piano van zyn werk, zynde eene nieuwe Uytvindinge, dewyl men ongemerkt en zonder in commoditeyt den thoon van de zelve kan diminueëren en casseeren,” This made him one of the co-inventors of the pianoforte and marked an important step in the further development of the piano.
In Antwerp, he submitted a request to the city council69* to be granted the same rights as his father, namely the ability to export his harpsichords free of charge. The city council rejected this request for various reasons. He became a member of the Reformed Church, the Olijfberg, where his father had once been an elder. This led to a dispute between him and Rev. Diepelius. In order to discredit Louis Dulcken, the minister, driven into a corner by accusations against him70*, asked the Magistrate of Hasselt about Louis' behaviour in that city71*.
On 7 May 1776, an important meeting of aldermen and councillors takes place in Hasselt Town Hall. At this meeting, the “final settlement” of two important lawsuits in which Dulcken was involved takes place. Dulcken is vindicated in both cases. With this, the family bids a final farewell to Hasselt72*. Their house and workshop are sold at auction73*. On 3 November 1776, Dulcken and his wife were in Amsterdam, where they collected a copy of their marriage certificate from the church in Sloterdijk74*. Een bewijsstuk om als gezin een nieuw leven te kunnen beginnen in Antwerpen. This was a document that would enable them to start a new life as a family in Antwerp. On 13 March 1777, he was in Ghent, where he sold a harpsichord that his father had made in Antwerp in 174075*.
Father Louis was a good teacher to his eldest son. The Dulckens, father and son, were probably very successful in Antwerp. So successful, in fact, that they were noticed by Karl Theodor von der Pfalz, the Elector of Bavaria.
In 1779, he asked Johannes Lodewijk Jr. to accompany him to Munich, where he became Johann Peter Milchmeyer's assistant. He was only 18 years old at the time. So young and already recognised as a brilliant harpsichord maker76*. Two years later, he became the “City Harpsichord Maker”.
Paris
Louis and Catharina did not remain in Antwerp. He probably settled in Paris at the end of 1777. Johann Jacob Schnell went with him to Paris and developed into a renowned instrument maker77*. Louis was registered as a member of the Corporation of Tabletiers78*, on 17 February 1780, and in 1783 he lived in the Rue Vieille du Temple 79* and from 1788 in the Rue Mauconseil80*0. He was involved in making and selling harpsichords. The last trace of him is his registration in 1791 at the address Quai de Gesver. He probably died and was buried in Paris. The idea that he moved to Munich81* is incorrect and stems from a case of mistaken identity with his son, who had been living and working there since 1779.
1* A. H. Vlagsma ‘Overijsselse orgels uit de periode 1450 – 1825, Nat. Orgelmuseum Elburg, 2022, pag. 241 - A.H. Vlagsma 'Friese orgels tussen 1500 en 1750' Fryske Akademy - Ljouwert 2003
2* Door Collectie Overijssel ( Rijksarchief) is in het kader van dit onderzoek een 250 jaar oud, met vijf zegels verzegeld ‘Dulckendocument’, geopend.
3* Louis Dulcken had zelfs de ambitie om burgemeester van Hasselt te worden.
4* Hasselt aan het Zwartewater (Overijssel) is een historische vestingstad met veel contacten in Amsterdam.
5* Alle onderzoeksresultaten zijn verzameld op de website http://www.musicksmonument.com
6* Historisch Centrum Limburg, Doopboek Gereformeerde Kerk Maastricht, 21.277A
7* Maastricht, Historisch Centrum Limburg, inv. nr. 4573
8* Maastricht, Historisch Centrum Limburg, inv. nr. 4573
9* Gazette van Antwerpen, 5 maart 1756.
10* Het Utrechts Archief, inv.nr. 1401, Oud Synodaal Archief van de Nederlandse Hervormde kerk, brief van Louis op 15 oktober 1774.
11* Notulenboek van de Gereformeerde Kerk te De Leur ( Brabant).
12* Archief Stad Amsterdam, Ledenregister van de Gereformeerde Kerk te Amsterdam.
13* Archief Hervormde kerk Hasselt, Notulenboek van de Gereformeerde Kerk te Hasselt 1772.
14* Archief Stad Amsterdam, Doopboek Gereformeerde Kerk Amsterdam.
15* Archief Stad Amsterdam, Ondertrouwregister archnr. 5001, invnr. 599, pag 434 Sloterdijk, Gereformeerde kerk.
16* A.S.A. N.3090, J Steenecruys, 1755 pag. 517.
17* Amsterdamse courant 7 sept. 1756
18* Zie voor een compleet overzicht van zijn advertenties: A.J. Gierveld, Het Nederlandse huisorgel in de 17e en 18e eeuw. Ver. voor Ned. Muziekgeschiedenis, 1977, p. 380 e.v.
19* Amsterdamse courant 7 sept. 1756
20* Het Utrechts Archief, inv.nr. 1401, Oud Synodaal Archief van de Nederlandse Hervormde kerk, brief van Louis op 15 oktober 1774.
21* Amsterdamse courant 5 mei 1757
22* Otto van der Leer, Historische kerk orgels in Nieuwegein, Cronyck de Geyn, jrg. 27, nr. 1.
23* Notulenboek Hervormde Kerk Jutphaas.
24* Otto van der Leer, Historische kerk orgels in Nieuwegein, Cronyck de Geyn, jrg. 27, nr. 1. In maart 1975 geeft Monumentenzorg toestemming en wordt het Dulcken-orgel naar de Waalse Gemeente in Haarlem overgebracht. De antieke orgelkast bevindt zich nu (2025) bij de firma Flentrop te Zaandam.
25* Amsterdamse courant 14 april 1759.
26* A.J. Gierveld, Het Nederlandse huisorgel in de 17e en 18e eeuw. Ver. voor Ned. Muziekgeschiedenis, 1977.
27* NL-ZlCO, Collectie Overijssel locatie Zwolle, 1365.1 Stadsbestuur Hasselt, inv.nr. 1342, lijst met bijdrage voor het trommelgeld 1762.
28* Het pand is zo groot dat er vanaf 1865 kerkdiensten in gehouden worden. Cornelis Springer maakt in 1863 een schilderij van dit pand, maar dit berust niet op de werkelijkheid.
29* NL-ZlCO, 0058.2, inv. nr. 740, brief Dulcken van15 april 1771.
30* NL-ZlCO, 0058.2, inv. nr. 740, brief Dulcken van15 april 1771.
31* NL-ZlCO, 0058.1, inv.nr. 3217a, p.31.
32* Archief Stad Amsterdam, archnr. 5001, invnr. 55, 56 , Doopboek Gereformeerde Kerk Amsterdam.
33* Archief Hervormde Kerk Hasselt, Doopregister Gereformeerde kerk.
34* Archief Hervormde Kerk Hasselt, Doopregister Gereformeerde kerk.
35* NL-ZlCO, 0058.2, inv.nr. 461 en NL-ZlCO, 0058.1, inv.nr. 3172, p. 274.e.v.
36* Middelburgsche Courant van 17 augustus 1765
37* Opregte Groninger Courant 6 april 1770
38* Leeuwarder Courant van 5 april 1766
39* A.H. Vlagsma, De Friese orgels tussen 1500 en 1750, Leeuwarden 2003, p.413 e.v A.H. Vlagsma 'Friese orgels tussen 1500 en 1750' Fryske Akademy - Ljouwert 2003
40* NL-ZlCO, 0058.1, inv.nr. 3172,p. 152, NL-ZlCO, 0058.1, inv.nr. 3206 p.28 e.v., NL-ZlCO, 0058.2, inv.nr. 475. NL-ZlCO, 0058.1, inv.nr. 3206, p. 42, NL-ZlCO, 0058.1, inv.nr. 3172, p.188, NL-ZlCO, 0058.1, inv.nr. 3172, p. 186 .
41* NL-ZlCO, 0058.1, inv.nr. 3172, p. 147, NL-ZlCO, 0058.2, inv.nr. 462. NL-ZlCO, 0058.1, inv.nr. 3172 p. 171, NL-ZlCO, 0058.2, inv.nr. 475, p. 21.
42* Archief Hervormde Kerk Hasselt, Doopregister Gereformeerde kerk.
43* NL-ZlCO, 0058.2, inv.nr. 470, dossier Krijgsraad
44* NL-ZlCO, 0058.2, inv.nr. 463, NL-ZlCO, 0058.2, inv.nr. 464. Het hele dossier.
45* NL-ZlCO, 0058.2, inv.nr. 470, p. 31 e.v., NL-ZlCO, 003.1,4. inv.nr. 4017.
46* NL-ZlCO, 0058.2, inv.nr. 471, Gegevens over deze zaak komen uit dit dossier.
47* NL-ZlCO, 0058.1, inv.nr. 3206 p.28 e.v.
48* NL-ZlCO, 003.1,4. inv.nr. 4017
49* Voor een volledig overzicht zie: Henk Poelarends en Hans Meijer a.b.
50* Genealogysk Jaerboekje, Uitgave Fryske Akademy, 1976, nr. 502, p. 6 e.v.
51* Archief Hervormde Kerk Hasselt, Doopboek en Begraafregister Gereformeerde kerk Hasselt.
52* Archief Hervormde Kerk Hasselt. Doopboek.
53* Archief Hervormde Kerk Hasselt, Ledenregister Gereformeerde Kerk te Hasselt.
54* NL-ZlCO, 1365.1, inv.nr. 20, p. 280.
55* Overzicht van alle kinderen
Susanna Maria, doop: 22 juli 1757
Alida doop: 18 oktober 1758
Daniël Lodewijk, doop: 8 juni 1760 - begr. 30 nov 1760*
Johan Lodewijk, doop: 9 augustus 1761
Johan Daniel, doop: 13 mei 1763 - begr. 24 april 1764
Johan Daniel, doop : 22 juli 1764
Johannes Ferdinandus doop: 16 maart 1766 - begr. 4 september 1766*
Ferdinandus, doop: 13 januari 1768 - begr. 12 februari 1768*
Johannes (Jan), doop: 26 december 1768
Catharina, doop: 19 aug. 1772
Bij een begrafenis wordt de naam van het kind niet vermeld. * deze zijn onzeker
56* NL-ZlCO,1365,1, inv. nr. 20, 310
57* NL-ZlCO, 1365.1, inv.nr. 70, p. 286
58* NL-ZlCO, 1365.1, inv.nr. 20, p. 310.
59* NL-ZlCO,1365,1, inv. nr. 20, 311.
60* Archief Hervormde Kerk Hasselt, inv.nr.3. Notulenboek, 1770 – 1772.
61* NL-ZlCO, 0058.1, inv.nr. 3172, p. 242 e.v.
62* NL-ZlCO, 1365.1, inv.nr. 20, p. 330.
63* Gazette van Antwerpen 10 sept. 1773
64* Het Utrechts Archief, inv.nr. 1401, Oud Synodaal Archief van de Nederlandse Hervormde kerk, Brief van Louis Dulcken op 15 oktober 1774
65* NL-ZlCO, 0003.1.4., inv.nr. 4017, p. 8.
66* Het Utrechts Archief, inv.nr. 1401, Oud Synodaal Archief van de Nederlandse Hervormde kerk, Brief van Reusch en Schnell van 15 oktober 1774.
67* NL-ZlCO, 0058.1, inv.nr. 3172, p. 274.e.v.
68* Gazette van Antwerpen 6 juli 1775
69* Stadsarchief Antwerpen, PK. 449, Minuten van Secretaris P. van Zetten, 1774-1775, nr. 45 en 46
70* Het Utrechts Archief, inv.nr. 1401, Oud Synodaal Archief van de Nederlandse Hervormde kerk, In deze map zit een groot aantal brieven met beschuldigingen van Louis en medestanders .
71* NL-ZlCO, 1365.1, inv.nr. 70, p. 393.
72* NL-ZlCO, 0058.1, inv.nr. 3206, p. 70 - 73, NL-ZlCO, 0058.2, inv.nr.475, p. 47, 51, 55, 64, 73, 75, 77., NL-ZlCO, 0003.1.4, inv.nr. 4017, p. 7 e.v.
73* NL-ZlCO, 0058.1, inv.nr. 3217a, p.51., NL-ZlCO, 1365.1, inv.nr. 71, p. 161 en 0058.1, inv.nr.3217a, p. 52.
74* Archief Stad Amsterdam, Trouwboek van de Gereformeerde Kerk te Sloterdijk.
75* Gazette van Gent 13 maart 1777.
76* Margarete Madelung, Greifenberg 1998, p. 52, Die Biographie Louis Dulckens.
77* Zie de Schnell biografie : Allgemeine Musikalische Zeitung, Erster Jahrgang van 3 oct. !798 bis 1799. Hij bouwde een anemo-corde.
78* Frans Nationaal Archief, Registres des jurandes et maîtrises des métiers de la ville de Paris ( 1585- 1790)
79* Almanach Musical Paris, 1782 pag. 141
80* Calendrier Musical Universel. Paris 1788 en 1789.
81* Martha Clinkscale (1993) heeft de levensloop vader en zoon Dulcken door elkaar gehaald.
VIDEO PART I - Bach Goldberg Var. 30. a 1 Clav. (Cees-Willem van Vliet - Bätz organ Amersfoort)
NOTICE OF MARRIAGE IN AMSTERDAM
Johan Lodewijk Dulcken (Louis Sr) van Mastrigt registered his intention to marry Catrina Koning in Amsterdam on May 7, 1756. His father Daniel Dulken, in Antwerp, gave his consent. The marriage license was granted on May 23, 1756, to be married in Sloterdijk.
CATTHUYSERS STRAAT - WEDUWEHOFJE AMSTERDAM
Amsterdamsche courant: LOUIS DULCKEN, Mr. Orgel- en Clavecimbaal-maaker, woonende bezyden het Catthuysers kerkhof t’Amsterdam, presenteerd uit de hand te koop een magnificq Clavecimbaal, zynde een Staartstuk; het geen alle dagen (uitgenomen Sondags) te zien is, ‘s morgens van 9 tot 1, en ’s namiddags van 3 tot 8 uuren. NB. Alhoewel ‘er gezegt word dat zyn welbekend Koninglyk Cabinet-Orgel zoude verkogt weezen, zo adverteerd men mits dezen, dat het zelve nog te koop is.
The houses next to the Weduwehofje Kathuysers Straat are still standing. The “Four Seasons” were built in 1731.
VIDEO PART II HASSELT - (1762-1776)
House of Dulcken on Nieuwstraat in Hasselt
Catharina Koning plays Sonata Opus 2, Part I, composed by Francesca Lebrun, in the white room. (Paula Bär-Giese, soprano; clothing by Lydia Vroegindeweij)
THE OLD TOWN HALL (REGTHUYS) IN HASSELT, OVERIJSSEL
THEME: HATE OR REVENGE (Conflict ds DIEPELIUS)
VIDEO REGHTHUYS HASSELT
In this part of the video, the setting is the courtroom of the Old Town Hall for the aria Oh mia cor from Handel's ALCINA.
Alcina - Paula Bär-Giese - soprano Cees-Willem van Vliet - harpsichord Magistrate - Henk Poelarends
Het leven van Nicolaes van Galen van HASSELT (Overijssel)
VIDEO PART III
NICOLAES VAN GALEN - JOHANNES VERMEER OF HASSELT - INFO NICOLAES VAN GALEN
Hans Meijer - lute
IN ALL THE PROCESSES, LOUIS DULCKEN HAS THEREFORE REGULARLY STOOD UNDER THIS PAINTING.
The Administration of Justice by Rechtspleging van Willem de Goede William the Good (190 x 213 cm) Signed by N. van Galen and dated 1657 From 1657 to the present day OLD TOWN HALL, HASSELT
The Administration of Justice by William the Good (190 x 213 cm) Signed by N. van Galen and dated 1657 From 1657 to the present day OLD TOWN HALL, HASSELT
The canvas is signed by N. van Galen, who lived in Hasselt. Son of Juriaen van Galen and the ‘noble’ Rijkien van Ittersum. She was the daughter of the licentiate and later mayor of Hasselt, Hendrik van Ittersum, and Carsien Claesen. She married Jurrien in 1605. Nicolaes van Galen himself married Johanna Ferreris, who was born in Amersfoort, in 1649. The son of her older brother, Bernard Ferreris, born in 1639, Dirck, was also a painter. Van Galen, who now had two children, Rijckjen (1650) and Theodoor (1652), stayed in Kampen in 1652, where he had contact with the Amsterdam art dealer Jacob Ritsma. In that year, the painter Claes van Galen demanded in a letter from Ritsma the payment of the amount he had received for two paintings entrusted to him. Nicolaes van Galen added F. [fecit (= made)] to the painting.
Het leven van Nicolaes van Galen van HASSELT (Overijssel)
The life of Nicolaes van Galen van HASSELT (Overijssel)