Cornelis Maertenszoon Tromp (1629 - 1691) was a famous Dutch naval officer. He was the second son of Admiral Maerten Tromp (1598 - 1653), one of the best-known sea heroes, and Dina Cornelisdochter de Haas. His father rose to become Lieutenant Admiral and supreme commander of the Dutch Navy and Cornelis would tread in his father’s footsteps. In 1642, young Cornelis was sent to Harfleur, France, where a Calvinist preacher taught him French. In September of the following year, he already joined his father on his flagship the Aemilia. In September 1645 Cornelis was appointed Lieutenant and in late August 1649 he was made a full captain. He served in the First Anglo-Dutch War, fighting in the Battle of Leghorn, but following the death of Johan van Galen was passed as commander of the Mediterranean fleet, only being promoted to Rear-Admiral with the Admiralty of de Maze in November 1653 after the death of his father Maerten, who had enjoyed massif popularity. In 1656 Cornelis participated in the relief of Gdansk (Danzig). The first blemish on his reputation occurred two years, when it was discovered that he had used his ships to trade in luxury goods. As a result he was fined and not allowed to have an active command until 1662. Just before the Second Anglo-Dutch War, in January 1665, he was promoted to Vice-Admiral. In the Battle of Lowestoft he prevented a disastrous outcome by taking over fleet command to allow the escape of the larger part of the fleet. In July that same year he was temporarily granted supreme command of the confederate fleet as Lieutenant Admiral, but had to give up this function (but not rank) the next month to Michiel de Ruyter. He fought, having been transferred to the Admiralty of Amsterdam in February 1666, under De Ruyter in the famous Four Days Battle and the St. James’s Day Battle. Because he blamed De Ruyter for his failure off Nieuwpoort in August 1666, he was dismissed, while at the same time being under the suspicion of plotting to overthrow the government. The next year he married the wealthy Margaretha van Raephorst (1625 - 1690). After William III of Orange had assumed power as stadholder in 1672, he fought in April 1673 against the French and English navies in the Third Anglo-Dutch War, where he participated in the last three fleet actions under De Ruyter, distinguishing himself in the double Battle of Schooneveld and the Battle of Texel in August 1673. During this war, his flagship was the Gouden Leeuw. In 1675 the English monarch Charles II created Tromp an English baronet and a Dutch “erfridder”. In May 1676 he became Admiral-General of the Danish navy and received the title of Knight in the Order of the Elephant and in 1677 that of Count of Sølvesborg (then a Danish nobility title). He defeated the Swedish navy in the Battle of Öland, his only victory as a fleet commander. In February 1679 Cornelis became Lieutenant-Admiral-General of the Republic but he never fought in that capacity, having increasingly become a liability to William III. From then on Cornelis led a life of indolence, giving in to heavy drinking. He died in Amsterdam in 1691, still officially commander of the Dutch fleet, after having been replaced for a period by Cornelis Evertsen the Youngest.
As a public figure, Cornelis Tromp’s personality is well documented as being jovial but also arrogant and vain. It is chiefly owing to the latter feature of his character that he had himself portrayed on numerous occasions. In fact, Tromp had himself painted by all prominent portrait painters of his time active in the Dutch Republic but also by some abroad. Mijtens executed no less than four portraits of him, the present included. This portrait of 1660 is the first, while one dates of 1661 and the two others of 1668. When Mijtens portrayed Tromp in 1660 the marine officer was only in his early thirties, but this is by no means Cornelis’ first portrait. A likeness of Tromp by Jacob Willemsz Delff the Younger dates of 1655 and is preserved in Philadelphia (Pennsylvania), Wilstach Museum. Then, in 1656 Karel van Mander III made a portrait of him and of several other Dutch naval commanders as part of a series, presently in Skoklosters slott (Habo). Tromp probably sat for him in Copenhagen. Other and later portraits are known by Caspar Netscher, Pieter Borselaer, Nicolaes Maes, Peter Lely and his studio, and Jan de Baen. This list of oil paintings can easily be augmented, while Cornelis’ face was also immortalized in other techniques. A special case is Jan Thopas’ drawn portrait on parchment. Of course numerous portrait prints exist of Cornelis as well.
The present portrait shows Cornelis Tromp in full armour, standing, against the backdrop of a rock and a sweeping view on sea with a fierce battle going on. A large cannon protrudes in the direction of the battle scene. Tromp looks the beholder in the eye and his pose exudes pride and confidence. With his right hand he firmly clasps the commander’s baton. In line with the sitter’s character Mijtens executed the portrait with deft and vigorous strokes of the brush, creating a vibrant image of an energetic man.
From the 1640s until his death in 1670 Jan Mijtens was the foremost portrait painter in The Hague, working for the aristocracy and the court. He was born into a family which has produced many painters and which was related to other families with artists among their offspring. Artists belonging to the Mijtens dynasty have been active in no less than seven countries through several generations. The earliest recorded artist from this family was Aert Mijtens (1556 - 1601) from Brussels, who already made a career across the borders of the Netherlands, working in Naples and Rome. Aert’s brother Maerten (1551 – 1628) had two sons, Daniel (c. 1590 - 1647/8) and Isaac (1602 - 1666), who became painters. Isaac worked in The Hague and his son Martinus (1648 - 1736) became a successful portrait painter at the Swedish court and his own son, Martinus Mijtens II (1695 - 1770) in turn would occupy a similar position at the court in Vienna. Isaac’s older brother, the already mentioned Daniel, was for many years the foremost portrait painter at the English court and worked for James I and Charles I until he returned to The Hague in 1632. Jan Mijtens was a son of Daniel Mijtens older brother, the saddlemaker David Mijtens (1582 - c. 1625/6) and his first wife Judith Hennincx. Jan was probably trained by Isaac Mijtens in The Hague. Jan registered in the guild of this town only in 1639, when he was in his mid twenties. Two years later he married Anna Mijtens (c. 1616 - 1654), who was the daughter of his uncle Daniel and his first wife Gratia Cletcher. When a group of artists founded the Confrérie Pictura, Jan was elected ‘Hoofdman’ and he would repeatedly fulfill administrative positions in this organization. From 1659 onwards Mijtens is found back in documents as a “capiteijn”, which means he was a member of one of the city’s militia guards.