Jacoba Bicker (Amsterdam, January 2, 1640 - June 29, 1695) was from the Bicker family, which was one of the leading pro-state families in the Dutch Golden Age.

Marriage portrait of Jacoba Bicker in 1663, painted by Caspar Netscher, Rijksmuseum Amsterdam

Biography

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Jacoba Bicker was born as the daughter of Jan Bicker and his cousin Agneta de Graeff van Polsbroek, one of her sisters was Wendela Bicker, the wife of Grand pensionary Johan de Witt.[1] She had many well-known and important relatives; Andries de Graeff and the brothers Andries and Cornelis Bicker were her uncle, and Johan and Cornelis de Witt were her cousins. The protagonists of the patriciate were closely related,[2] and in 1663, at the age of 22, she married her other cousin Pieter de Graeff at Ilpenstein Castle. Grand pensionary De Witt was also present there and gave the wedding speech.[3] The poets Jan Vos,[4] Joost van den Vondel[5] and Gerard Brandt,[6] who were present, "sang about" this wedding.

Portraits of Pieter de Graeff and Jacoba Bicker, painted in 1663 by Caspar Netscher, Rijksmuseum Amsterdam
Marriage crest of Pieter de Graeff and Jacoba Bicker

The couple had three children:[2]

Portrait of the family of Pieter de Graeff (with wife Jacoba Bicker and daughter Agneta de Graeff) by Emanuel de Witte, 1678
Jacoba Bicker painted by Wallerant Vaillant or one of his brothers in 1674

In 1663 Jacoba Bicker was painted together with her husband Pieter by Caspar Netscher and alone by Jurriaen Ovens. Wallerant Vaillant painted her in 1674 and Emanuel de Witte together with Pieter and daughter Agneta de Graeff in 1678. When her sister Wendela died in 1668, her husband Pieter and her brother-in-law Jean Deutz were appointed guardians of their nephews and nieces and were responsible for handling the estate.[8] In 1695 Jacoba Bicker was one of the 250 richest persons from the Dutch Golden Age and was assessed for a taxable capital of 491,811 guilders.[7]

References

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  1. ^ Biography Pieter de Graeff at "Biographisch woordenboek der Nederlanden", volume 7, byA. J. van der Aa
  2. ^ a b Pieter de Graeffs Biography at digitale bibliothek voor de nederlandse letteren, part II (dutch)
  3. ^ Het Huis te Ilpendam en deszelfs voornaamste bezitters, p 33 / 34, by Gerrit van Enst Koning
  4. ^ Jan Vos’ Vers Huwelyk van den Eed. Heer Pieter de Graaf, Iongheer van Zuidt-Polsbroek, En Mejuffer Jakoba Bikker
  5. ^ "Joost van den Vondel, De werken van Vondel: Ter bruiloft van den weledelen heer Peter de Graef, Jongkheer van Zuitpolsbroek en de weledele mejoffer Jakoba Bikker, Deel 9. 1660-1663 · dbnl". dbnl.org.
  6. ^ Pieter de Graeff at Het Huis te Ilpendam en deszelfs voornaamste Bezitters, p 327
  7. ^ a b De 500 Rijksten van de Republiek: Rijkdom, geloof, macht en cultuur, von Kees Zandvliet (see #16, Johan de Graeff)
  8. ^ www.johandewitt.nl "De verkoop van een aantal van Wendela’s juwelen door Jacoba Bicker", Gepubliceerd op 24 oktober 2020 door Saskia Kuus