6e 
346 LEEUWENHOEK AND HIS “ LITTLE ANIMALS ”’ 
(vi) THE PORTRAITS OF LEEUWENHOEK 
Several “portraits of Leeuwenhoek” are still extant. 
They were made at various dates by various artists, and the 
following fragmentary notes upon them may be of interest— 
information on this subject being somewhat difficult to obtain, 
and not having been previously collected.’ 
(1) By JoHANNES VERKOLJE (1650-1693 : lived at Delft 
1673 till his death, and is buried there. Cf. v. Riemsdijk, 
1921, p. 281). There are two portraits of Leeuwenhoek by 
this artist : 
(a) An otl-painting. (See Plate XI, opposite p. 49 of 
the present work.) Dated 1686 (fide Moes, 1905). Three- 
quarter length, showing Leeuwenhoek seated at a table; 
wearing a golden-brown robe, a wig, a knotted white necker- 
chief, etc. Head turned to left of picture (7.e. to his own 
right), knees to right. On the table a globe, an ink-stand 
with a quill pen, the sealed diploma of the Royal Society, a 
small pair of compasses, and a sheet of paper bearing a 
drawing of acircle and some indistinct figures. (The drawing 
appears to be that here shown in text-fig. 38, p. 202.) In 
his right hand he holds another pair of compasses.” He 
is depicted with a fresh complexion and clear blue eyes. 
An opening at the right in the dark background shows 
a glimpse of a distant landscape with a winding river 
(“perhaps the Thames” according to Haaxman—but why 
not the Maas?). 
This painting was formerly in the possession of Dr C. H. W. 
van Kaathoven of Leyden (Haaxman, 1875, p. 177: Harting, 
1876, pp. 117-119). On his death it was purchased (19 June 
1879) by the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, where it now hangs 
(Room 273, No. 2521). Cf. Moes (1905, p. 12); v. Riemsdijk 
(1921, p. 281). This isthe prototype of most of the published 
portraits. It has been reproduced in recent times by 
Crommelin (1926), van Seters (1926), and others, while 
1 Since this was written a short article on the same subject has been 
published by de Lint (1931)—too late for its contents to be discussed here. 
2 A little passer similar to this, and once belonging to L., is still (or was 
in 1923, when I saw it) in the possession of Mr P. A. Haaxman at The 
Hague. 
